LAKEHURST: SHATTERED
by LAKEHURST Productions
Summary: The first part of season 11 has come to a close as Prom and Graduation brings out the best and worst within these terrific characters. As some find closure, others will realize that it's too late to even think about changing. Stay tuned for Season 11.5: Picking Up The Pieces. It'll feature the OCs that you all submitted (you still have time) and it will tackle more shocking issues.
1. No Light, No Light (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER ONE: **_"No Light, No Light (1)"_

**TREVOR LEE**

**Lauren **– Trevor's mother – watched as he got ready for the final semester. _"I can't believe that you're graduating at the end of this semester…" _Lauren whispered as Trevor looked at her. _"I would've graduated last year…if I wasn't so stupid" _**Trevor **said as his mother only gave him a faint smile. _"You aren't stupid… it's just some of the choices you make that aren't that bright" _Lauren confessed. Trevor only smiled, giving up, why would he challenge his mother?

Trevor walked to the door, _"Hey!" _Lauren shouted as Trevor turned around. He watched as his mother threw a pair of keys, he smiled, _"Really?" _Trevor asked and his mother nodded. Trevor quickly exited the house before the woman changed her mind. Trevor soon quickly grabbed his leg and let out a hiss, he then reached into his pocket. Pulling out another pain pill, he quickly popped it in his mouth and headed towards the car.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST… **__"Welcome back, students!" _Principal Richards' voice trailed off as students were filing in left and right. _"I'd like to see Sarah Davies in my office…" _the woman finished just as **Sarah **and **Camielle **both entered the school.

"_Wow, we haven't even been here for five seconds and you're already in trouble!" _Camielle teases her sister. Sarah playfully punches the girl's arm, _"Get to class!" _Sarah tells her as Camielle laughs while doing as she was instructed. _"What now?" _Sarah asked herself as she headed towards the office.

**Miles **is admiring Trevor's car, outside of Lakehurst. _"Man, you're going to have girls eating out of the palm of your hands!" Miles exclaimed._

"_Nice wheels!" _**Drew** called out as he made his way over to his way over to his friends. Drew was holding **Vanessa**'s hand.

"_Thanks, man," _Trevor told Drew. Vanessa smiled, _"Are we going to be Midnight Street racing with this one as well?" _she asked as Trevor he and the others started laughing. _"Hey!" _**Rachel **said as she had made her way over. _"That part of my cousin's life is behind him now, moving on," _Rachel said as she looked at everyone with a smile. _"Prom," _Rachel shouted. Everyone groaned as they started to walk away. _"What'd I say?" _Rachel asked and Vanessa only laughed as she led her friend towards the building, remembering Lakehurst's track record for dances.

Sarah had been discussing a lot of information with Principal Richards. _"So, are you sure that Alli isn't coming back?" _Sarah asked as Richards nodded. _"I can't believe she dropped out…" _Sarah states as Richards only looks at her. _"Can you handle it?" _she asks. Sarah looks at the woman and nods, _"I'll be the best dang president Lakehurst has ever seen!" _she exclaimed as she stood up and exited the office.

Sarah couldn't believe that she'd just been given the position of student body president. Just then she saw Trevor and Miles coming into the school. _"Guys, guess what?" _Sarah said as she looked back and forth between the two. _"I've been given the student body president position!" _she said, before they got a chance to answer.

"_What about Alli Bhandari?" _Trevor asked, suspicious. _"Didn't you hear? She dropped out and moved to LA with Chase Reynolds!" _Sarah said as Miles and Trevor both shrugged at the same time. Miles then put his arm around both Trevor and Sarah, _"Well, Sarah's the student body president and Trevor has a car…I say this calls for a celebration." _Miles states and Sarah and Trevor nod.

Sarah then turns around to the hallway, where a crowd is surrounding them, _"Party at my place, tonight, for everyone!" _Sarah shouts as everyone starts to cheer.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

**Alli **and **Chase **were in the mall. Alli had decided that she was going to make this day her shopping day. Chase kissed her and Alli nodded, he had to go to the bathroom. Alli continued to look through rows and rows of clothes. She then caught a glimpse of some girls staring at her. _"Can I help you?" _Alli asked and one of the girls came up to her.

"_Was that Chase Reynolds?" _the girl asked and Alli looked back and then nodded. _"How could you date a murderer?" _the girl said and the other girls just rolled their eyes at Alli as they left the store.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor and Miles were already at Sarah's party. Trevor had popped several pills when Miles wasn't looking and he felt better than ever. _"Miles" _Trevor said, getting his friends attention, _"Who's that?" _he finished asking the boy and Miles only looked up and smiled. _"That my friend is Connie!" _Miles shouted as he handed Trevor another beer.

Trevor knew he shouldn't be taking pills and drinking alcohol, because neither of them mixed. He then started to walk around the party.

**SARAH DAVIES**

Sarah was walking all throughout her house, she saw just about everyone from her school in the place. _"Sarah!" _Monique shouted as Sarah turned to face the girl. _"What's up?" _Sarah asked as the girl had made her way over to her. _"This party is amazing" _she told her and Sarah just smiled.

Sarah's smile faded when she realized that she saw someone – someone who shouldn't be here. _'I'll be right back…" _Sarah whispered as Monique looked at the girl confusingly. Sarah made her way over to Renee.

"_Can I see your invitation? Because I'm pretty sure that I left 'Vapid Bitch' off the list" _Sarah tells Renee. Renee looks at the girl. _"Look, I had nothing to do with what Danny did" _she said, trying to explain herself. _"No, you had everything to do with what Danny did, if you hadn't lied about Drew raping you, none of that would've happened!" _Sarah shouts as she begins to walk away.

But, Renee stops her, _"How about this?" _Renee asks as she holds up a phone to Sarah. Sarah is shocked to see herself posing inside of _Shorties_. _"Where the hell did you get that?" _Sarah asked as she tried to reach for the phone.

"_That's none of your business" _Renee said as she got into Sarah's face. _"You just know one thing and one thing only, I own you now, Bitch" _she whispers as she goes around a shocked Sarah.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

Alli started to fill uncomfortable as Chase was driving en route to their apartment. _"Chase, can I ask you a question?" _Alli asked and Chase laughed, _"You just did" _Alli just stared at his comment. _"Back at the mall, these girls called you a murderer" _Alli said. At that moment Chase suddenly stopped the car, causing Alli to come forward a little.

"_What the hell?" _Alli asked him and he looked at her. _"Why would they say something like that?" _Alli asked him. _"Drop it" _Chase whispered. _"Drop it?" _Alli restated. _"What happened, Chase?" _Alli asked him. _"Alli, can you just drop it? I don't ask you why you sexted" _Chase said. _"Let me out of the car, now!" _Alli shouts as Chase unlocks the doors and Alli exits. 

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor made his way into another room. _"Wow" _Trevor states when he sees a girl shoot up cocaine. The girl looks up at him and smiles, _"Don't I know you?" _Trevor asks and she nods. _"I'm Connie" _Connie states as Trevor just smiled at her. Trevor then sat down as he held his head some. Connie noticed this and leaned over, _"You want to go somewhere…quieter?" _she asked him and he nodded as she led him up the stairs to another room.

Connie led Trevor over to the bed, and he immediately fell over and started to fall asleep. Connie smiled, deviously as she turned up the radio located on the far right of the room. She then hurriedly made her way over to the door and closed it; locking it.

**TO BE CONTINUED.**


	2. No Light, No Light (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TWO: **_"No Light, No Light (2)"_

**TREVOR LEE**

**Trevor **woke up _and _held his head. As images of him and **Connie **were playing over and over in his head. Trevor then looked around the room; realizing that he was still sleeping in **Sarah**'s guest room. Trevor quickly got up and started to walk towards the door; however, his hang over was enough to cause him to lie back down. As Trevor closed his eyes, a vague and brief image popped in his head. Connie was whispering "Be Quiet," in his ear. Trevor immediately sat up, wondering what went down in the room last night.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST… **__"She has pictures of me in Shorties." _**Sarah **told **Monique**. _"Where did she even get the pictures?" _Sarah asked Monique and herself that question. Monique shrugged, _"Maybe one of your enemies?" _Monique asked. Sarah only looked at the girl, she had plenty of enemies. Monique didn't know what to tell her friend. Sarah only sighed.

**Camielle **made her way over to her sister, _"Sarah, you're in big trouble!" _Camielle exclaimed. Sarah looked at Monique and started to panic. _"I'm in trouble for what?" _Sarah asked, praying that Renee didn't send the pictures to Sarah's mother.

"_Mom figured that you'd probably try to throw a party while she was gone, so she decided to set up a camera, you're busted!" _Camielle said; however, Sarah let out a sigh of relief. _"Whatever, freak." _Camielle stated as she placed her camera and a copy of the tape on the table. Of course she didn't know what was going on, but she wasn't going to mess with Sarah if her sister didn't do it back – it wasn't any fun.

"_That was close," _Sarah began as she looked at the items that Camielle placed on the table. _"I wonder what your mom saw!" _Monique stated and Sarah was a little curious as well. However, when they started to play the tape, all they saw were Trevor and Connie in the guest room, about to have sex.

"_Gross, it's homemade porn," _Monique stated. Sarah looked at the girl. _"What, the only reason why you're looking at it is because you've been there, done that the stripping and Trevor." _Monique had reminded Sarah of that and Sarah immediately playfully slapped her friends arm.

Monique was about to press the delete button, _"Wait!" _Sarah shouted as Monique looked at her confusingly. _"Please don't tell me you're going to keep this," _Monique said and Sarah immediately disagreed. _"Of course not, but Trevor might want to get a look at his work, give this to him… I need to make a call," _Sarah said as Monique took the tape.

"_Wait, who are you calling?" _Monique asked the girl. _"An old acquaintance," _Sarah confessed.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

**Chase** opened the door to his apartment and immediately spotted **Alli **packing her bags. _"Alli, what are you doing?" _Chase asked as he made his way into the room. _"I'm leaving. It's obvious you don't want me here!" _Alli shouts as Chase just watches her.

"_Why are you doing this?" _Chase asks his girlfriend. _"I'm doing this because the guy I love won't even tell me why he's no longer a mechanic!" _Alli shouts and Chase only sighs. _"I never said I loved you…" _he whispers, he knows this will hurt Alli, but he also knows that she has to go back to Toronto.

Alli stood there shocked, wondering if he meant what he said. _"I gave up everything for you!" _Alli shouted. Chase became confused, _"Really?" _he asked her. Alli then returned his confused look with one of her own. _"Why is it that you ditched me to hang out with Johnny DiMarco? Or why did you dump me just so you could date Drew Torres, how long did that last by the way?" _Chase said.

Alli couldn't believe that he was doing this right; she picked up her bags and headed to the door. But, before she left, she looked back at him and faintly smiled. _"In the end, I picked you…it's always been you" _Alli whispers as she leaves the apartment.

**TREVOR LEE**

**Rachel **and Trevor were laughing near Trevor's locker. Rachel then noticed Monique, _"Hey girlie!" _Rachel shouted and Monique smiled. _"Trevor, here… Sarah wanted me to give you your homemade sex tape," _Monique said.

Trevor laughed, when he noticed that Monique wasn't laughing, he was confused. _"What do you mean?" _he asked. Monique then showed him the tape and Rachel turned away. Trevor looked at the tape, _"I don't remember that, I'm not even awake!" _Trevor shouted. Monique then realized what was going on, _"Oh my God…" _she whispered.

Trevor shook his head, _"Nah, maybe I am awake, that's the only way someone can have sex. It was consensual, I swear!" _Trevor shouted. He couldn't accept the fact that he was raped by Connie. She took advantage of him. He had to deny it; he would be laughing stock of the school if this got out. Rachel turned a little, _"Trevor," _Rachel said, trying to hug him.

"_No, there is no way a girl raped me" _Trevor whispered as he left the two girls.

**SARAH DAVIES**

**Renee **appeared in front of Sarah. _"What now?" _Renee asked her. Sarah smiles deviously, _"Your little game stops here!" _Sarah shouted as Renee looked at her confusingly. Sarah and Renee both became intrigued by the footsteps that seemed to be heading in their direction.

Sarah smiled to herself, _"I can't believe you're here!" _The girl cleared her throat, _"I'm not just doing this for you Sarah, but for everyone who has been plagued by this girl. It's not cool at all." _Sarah was ecstatic that her acquaintance had finally showed up. She could finally show Renee what she could do.

Renee looked at the girl, _"You must be Renee?"_ the girl asked. Renee nodded, _"You are?" _she asked. _"Dawson. Kim Dawson," _Kim said as she looked at Renee.

"_What's she going to do?" _Renee asked. _"Expose your brother," _Sarah whispered. Renee became confused. _"I don't usually use sexuality for collateral, but the thing about going to a 'gay' bar is… you know everyone, including your brother," _Kim told her. Renee caught on quickly and traded images with Kim. Renee then left.

"_The bitch is finally gone," _Sarah tells her. Kim turns around and is mad, _"I cannot believe you called me just to have me handle some girl, I'm not in high school anymore, Sarah. Do you know how bad this makes me look?" _Kim asks. Sarah looks down and then looks back up, _"I figured you owed me big time for that 'A' on our chemistry assignment…" _Sarah whispered. Kim looked at her and pulled her into a hug.

Kim laughed a little, _"God, it's so nice to see a familiar face. Nobody keeps in touch anymore," _Kim whispers. _"What?" _Sarah asks. _"Yeah, Diego and Chastity aren't together anymore. Kevin's been MIA since graduation," _Kim started. _"Madeline?" _Sarah asks, interrupting. _"Maddie's getting married," _Kim then holds up her hand, revealing an engagement ring. Sarah squeals and the two girls hug.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

"_Alli, wait!" _Chase said as he started running towards her. Alli looked at him, _"If you're not going to tell me what happened, you can turn right back around!" _Alli shouted. _"It happened, I killed someone… but, that's not the full story." _This made Alli look at him and sigh, she had to hear him out.

They were back in the apartment room and Alli was sitting on the bed next to Chase. He was explaining to her how he was branded a murderer. _"It happened so fast. One minute I'm shooting the enemy and the next I'm blowing up the trench where my team was located," _Alli placed her hand on his leg, _"it's fine…" _she whispered as he looked at her. The two began to kiss passionately.

Alli watched as Chase slept. She then got up and placed a letter on the table. She then grabbed her bags and headed for the door. She looked back, tears in her eyes. Alli then walked out of the apartment, closing and locking the door behind her.

"_Dear Chase, we've had some good times and we've had some bad. But, the comparison between the two is that you've always been there for me; even when the rest of the world wasn't. You've never saw me as the bad seed, but something more. Well, I've bloomed and I've realized that it's time to let you go."_

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor is pacing back and forth in the school bathroom. How could he let a girl rape him? He felt so lost and not to mention how weak he felt. Trevor looked at himself in the mirror, _"I'm weak!"_ Trevor shouted as he started to hit his head against the sink. Trevor then realized that he was bleeding.

Trevor walked out of the bathroom and saw Rachel and Monique. _"Trevor!" _Rachel shouted and Trevor put his back to the wall and slid down. _"I'm weak," _he whispered.


	3. Seize the Day

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TWO: **_"Seize the Day"_

**SARAH DAVIES**

**Sarah **is walking into Lakehurst. She immediately spots **Rachel**, whom is talking to **Vanessa**. _"Rachel!" _Sarah calls out to the girl. _"Sarah," _Rachel whispers as she and Vanessa part ways. _"Hey, how's Trevor?" _Sarah asks the girl. Rachel only shakes her head, _"I have no clue… I haven't talked to him since he found out about what happened." _Sarah only gave the girl a faint smile; she was really feeling for Trevor. She had known Trevor for a pretty long time and it just seemed too unreal.

"_Walk you to class?" _Sarah asked and Rachel nodded. The two girls had started to get on neutral terms when it came to their friends. Sarah looked to Rachel and smiled, _"Well, at least that's the only drama any of us has to deal with this year." _Rachel nodded in agreement. However, she stopped nodded when she caught a glimpse of what every other student was looking at.

Sarah followed the girls eyes and screamed as she saw a picture of her stripping – which had been blown up courtesy of Renee. _"No!" _Sarah shouted.

Just then the intercom came on, _"Sarah Davies, report to my office… now!" _Principal Richards's said. Sarah ignored the woman's voice as she started to rip down her image; however, people were starting to record and snap pictures involving the incident.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST… **__"Etienne!" _**Bianca **shouted, trying to get her brother's attention. **Etienne** immediately was brought back into reality. _"Huh?" _he asked. Bianca laughed a little, _"What the hell were you doing daydreaming about Camielle Davies?" _Bianca teased. When Etienne didn't say anything, Bianca's eyes widened.

"_No way, you like her?" _Bianca stated and Etienne quickly shook his head. _"Bianca, shut up!" _Etienne said as Bianca continued to laugh. _"Besides. I kind of screwed things up, anyway," _Etienne said as he and Bianca went through the doors of the school.

Bianca stopped when she realized that she and her brother were standing in front of **Adam**. _"Hi," _Bianca whispered. _"Hi." _Adam then walked around the pair and headed towards his class.

Etienne only watched his sister and then started to laugh himself. _"What?" _she asked him. Etienne continued to laugh. _"Whatever, get to class!" _Bianca shouted as she headed towards her own. Etienne's laughter died down as he made his way over to his locker. Just then his phone started vibrating.

Etienne looked at the caller id and his smile faded. It was him. _"Hello?" _Etienne said, putting the phone to his ear. _"Where's my money?" _a man's voice said on the other end of the phone. _"I promise I'll have it to you by the end of the week!" _Etienne said. _"No," _the man's voice started, _"I'm coming to collect today, so you just make sure you're alone when I do!" _The man then hung up the phone, before Etienne could get a word out. What had he gotten himself into?

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

**Sheryl **looked at the paper that was sticking out of **Monique**'s bag. _"What the hell is this?" _she asked her daughter. _"Nothing," _Monique stated. Sheryl looked at the girl. _"I'm not stupid," _she reminded her daughter. Monique sighed, _"I'm going bungee jumping!" _she stated.

Sheryl looked at her daughter and shook her head, _"No, end of discussion!" _Monique sucked her teeth, _"But, ma!" _she called out and Sheryl only shushed her. _"I mean it Monique. I've already lost one person I'm not about to go through that again," _Sheryl whispered.

Monique rolled her eyes, _"Well, you're going to have to lose another one pretty soon and before that happens she wants a chance to live!" _Monique shouts as she exits the house.

Monique started walking down her sidewalk, not paying attention to anything nor anyone. She bumped into **Miles**. _"Oh, sorry!" _she said. Miles only smiled at the girl. _"Everything okay?" _he asked her and Monique only shrugged.

"_No it's my mom, she's being to over protective," _Monique confessed to him. Miles looked at her, _"Hey, I'm pretty sure she's just looking out for you… come tell Miles what's wrong," _Miles said as he placed his arm on her shoulder and Monique gave him a weak smile.

**SARAH DAVIES**

"_Sarah, I have no other choice, you're off student council… as well as suspended," _Principal Richards sighed as Sarah looked at the woman. _"Are you serious, Renee did this and I'm the one getting suspended?" _Sarah asked and Principal Richards only looked at her.

"_Sarah, how do you know that Renee is the one that did this?" _Richards asks and Sarah only crosses her arms. _"Like I said, suspension, effective immediately," _Sarah gasped and only stood up and walked out of the office.

She spotted Rachel, Vanessa, and **Drew **who were at their lockers. _"What happened?" _Rachel asks. _"Principal Richards stripped me of my student body president position," _Sarah started, but Drew started laughing. _"You said strip and it is funny because…" _Drew began, but Vanessa started to pull him away, _"Let's go!" _she said as she left Rachel and Sarah who was glaring at Drew.

"_I hate that guy!" _Sarah stated. _"But, not as much as you hate Renee… so what's the plan?" _Rachel asks. _"No plan, I'm suspended… I got to go, now." _Rachel only looked at the girl. It's official – Sarah Davies has finally been defeated.

**ETIENNE DESOUSA**

Etienne is on the phone. _"Bianca, where are you?" _he asked his sister. _"Um, at home," _Bianca answered him. _"Home, what are you doing at home?" _Etienne asked her. _"Because, I'm sick… oh, do you also want to know what I'm wearing?" _Bianca asked, jokingly. Etienne only went silent. Bianca's smile faded, _"Hey, Etienne it was just a joke…Etienne?" _Bianca continued to say, yet she still didn't receive an answer. Bianca was shocked when the phone was hung up on her. _"Oh, well screw you too then!" _she shouted.

Etienne hung the phone up on Bianca. It's not like he wanted to, but he had spotted one of the gangsters that he'd gotten the drugs from. Etienne covered his head with his hood as he turned and started walking in another direction to get home. He'd hope that the gangster didn't know what he looked like. Just then Etienne's phone dropped. _"Damn," _Etienne shouted loud enough to get the gangster's attention.

Etienne looked back and saw the gangster, who glared at him. _"Hey, kid!" _the gangster shouted as he started to run after him. Etienne quickly picked up his phone and started to dial a number. Etienne placed the phone to his ear as he took a shortcut through an alley, the gangster following him.

_**Camielle**__ was sitting with her friends and somehow managed to see the whole thing. Camielle then looked worried as she told her friends that she'd be right back. Not knowing what she was about to get herself into._

Bianca was eating popcorn. _"Hello?" _she said, answering the phone. _"Bee," _Etienne said on the other end. Bianca could hear him, but they were breaking up. _"Etienne? You're going to have to call me back, we're breaking up!" _Bianca stated through the phone. _"No, Bia…" _Etienne had been cut off by the ending of the phone call.

Just then he was grabbed from the back and slammed onto a bundle of trash bags. The man looked at him with a crooked smile and pulled out a gun, _"You're dead!" _the man shouted as he aimed the gun and Etienne's chest.

Etienne looked at the man, but was surprised when he heard something hit the man in the back of the head and he fell down. Etienne looked at whoever had done it. He spotted Camielle, holding a bat. _"Wow," _Etienne whispered as he stood up and grabbed Camielle's hand and ran with out of the alley with her.

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

Monique watched as clouds passed by. She was actually about to bungee jump. Thinking of the conversation she had with her mother she was a little nervous. But, she remembered her condition – there's no time for nervous. _"Ready?" _the man asked. Monique looked at him. _"As I'll ever be!" _she shouted as she prepared herself.

"_Monique, wait!" _she heard a voice shout, her mother's voice at that. _"Ma, what are you doing here?" _Monique asks a little upset. _"One of the most tragic things I know about human nature is that all of us tend to put off living. We are all dreaming of some magical rose garden over the horizon instead of enjoying the roses that are blooming outside our windows today." _Monique stared at her mother, _"Really? Dale Carnegie?"_ she asked. Sheryl looked at her daughter and they both smiled at each other, _"Bottom line, you're not alone… ever." _Monique smiled as her mother started to put on equipment to jump with her. _"I'm next," _she whispers and Monique nods.

**SARAH DAVIES**

Sarah _is _crying. She's sitting down on her bed, facing the wall – away from her door. Sarah's mothers' girlfriend – Kelly comes to the door. _"Sarah," _**Kelly** states, waiting for the girl's response. Sarah only sat there quietly. _"Your mom wanted to know what you plan on doing about this," _Kelly tells her. Sarah turns around.

"_Really, well she sure as heck doesn't act like it!" _Sarah shouts at the girl. Kelly holds up her hands as if she's been defeated. _"Look, your mom was just a little furious… she's never dealt with this kind of thing before!" _Kelly tells her.

Sarah looks at Kelly, _"Well, she didn't have to call me a whore!" _Kelly nods, _"You didn't have to call her a selfish bitch, did you?" _Kelly asked, defensively. Sarah knows she's been defeated – she'd never talked to her mother like that before. Now, here was Kelly – her mother's girlfriend – telling her that they both are in the wrong.

Sarah only smiled faintly, _"You're right," _she began_ "I should go apologize." _Sarah made headed for her door, but Kelly stopped her. _"Kelly," _Sarah started. _"Listen." _Kelly looked at the girl and Sarah sat down on her bed and faced Kelly. _"When I was in high school I had a very promiscuous reputation. Everywhere I went I would hear 'slut' or 'whore'… I'm not going to lie some of the names were pretty creative." _Kelly said as she and Sarah laughed.

"_But, the point is look where I am today. Sure it took a lot of rebuilding, but I found what I was looking for, love. I guess what that means is that you're going to have some obstacles; sure they'll knock you down. But, when that happens, you get back up and you fight like hell to get rid of whatever it was that knocked you down," _Kelly said as Sarah nodded and smiled.


	4. Because of You

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER FOUR: **_"Because of You"_

**TREVOR LEE**

"_Be quiet," _**Connie **said to **Trevor **as she slowly undressed him. _"What are you doing?" _Trevor asked trying to get away; he then falls asleep. _"It'll be okay, Trevor. You won't remember anything." _Connie slowly started to undress Trevor – first his shirt then his pants.

"_NO PLEASE DON'T!" _Trevor yelled awaking from his dream in a cold sweat. Trevor looked around his room, noticing that it was just as dark as he remembered it being before going to sleep. He shifted out of bed and started walking towards the bathroom. Opening the door, he quickly closed it and locked it behind him. He felt broken and shattered, like everything had been taken away from him. That's not a feeling he wanted to feel. Why did this happen to me? What did I do to deserve this? Trevor looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. "I'm weak!" Trevor yells as he punches the mirror.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Hannah **looked at the school. She hated being back here – she just wanted to turn around forget even returning to the school. She hadn't gotten over her brother's death she didn't think she was going to. Hannah started walking up the steps.

She pushed open the glass doors and immediately she felt like all eyes were on her. _"Hannah," _**Jacob **said to her as he walked over. _"Jacob. Hi!" _Hannah stated as she pulled him into a hug. It had been a while since the two last connected and she missed him a lot. Jacob pulled back and smiled at her, _"Well, I didn't know you miss me that much," _he said as he looked her up and down. Hannah only smiled, cautious of what to say, _"Of course I missed you, why wouldn't I?" _Hannah asked him. Jacob only nodded and started to walk with her, _"So, what's on the agenda for the one and only Ms. Tanner?" _he asked. Hannah smiled; she had no clue as to what she was going to do now that her brother was out of the picture.

She looked up and saw someone passing out flyers. _"Who's that?"_ Hannah asked Jacob. _"Oh, that Dustin...he's in charge of the school paper!" _Jacob told her. _"You're not thinking about joining are you?"_ he asked her. Hannah nodded _"Of course I'm going to join; a lot of people need to know the truth behind a lot of things."_ Hannah smiled at him as she walked away to get a paper from **Dustin**.

_"Dustin, I'd like to join,"_ she said as Dustin looked at her. _"Hannah Tanner back from the dead," _Dustin then mentally slapped himself realizing what he had just said. _"Sorry," _he stated, but Hannah reassured him that it was okay. "_Yep, basically I have a story to tell and the world's... well this school, is going to hear it!"_ Hannah stated as Dustin handed her a paper. Hannah then turned to Jacob and stuck her tongue out. She was starting to become the old Hannah again.

**RANDY TAMBURRINO**

**Randy **and **Brittany **walked into Lakehurst, holding one another's hand. **Cedric **is close behind them. _"Alright, I'm starting to like this whole friends with benefits thing," _Randy confessed and Brittany smiled, _"Me too."_ Cedric gagged as Randy and Brittany both shot him a look. Cedric then smile awkwardly and walked over to his locker. _"I'll see you after first period?"_ Brittany asked Randy and nodded as the two shared a hug. Randy then made his way over to the lockers and looked at Cedric, _"We need to find you a boyfriend,"_ Randy teased him. Cedric quickly motioned for him to shut up. _"Coming out over break was the best thing I could've ever done. But, no thanks, besides I kind of like being the third wheel right now,"_ he said. Randy looked at him, _"What do you mean for now?"_ Randy asked him. Cedric looked at him, _"You don't know?"_ Cedric asked him. Randy looked at him confusingly, _"Don't know what?"_ Randy asked as he looked at the boy. _"Brittany's going to Teen Idol next week, she didn't tell you?"_ Cedric asked him. Randy continued to stare at him and Cedric decided to just walk away.

Randy couldn't believe that Brittany had been keeping that secret from him. He quickly walked towards her classroom. He saw her talking to a girl, _"Can we talk?" _Randy asked. _"Ah, Britt...who's your friend?"_ the girl asked. Randy looked at her and back to Brittany, "Now," he stated. Brittany looked a little confused, _"Randy – Quinn, Quinn meet Randy!" _Brittany stated as she pulled Randy to the side. _"What?" _she asked him. _"When were you going to tell me?"_ he asked her. Brittany shrugged her shoulders, not knowing what he was referring to. _"You're leaving for that stupid Teen Idol thing, right?"_ Randy asked. _"I'm going to kill Cedric!"_ Brittany stated. _"When were you going to tell me?" _Randy repeated. Brittany was speechless. _"Wow, you weren't were you?" _Randy stated and Brittany became silent as Randy just sighed and walked away. Brittany watched him leave; however, **Quinn** watched Randy seductively and then looked at Brittany smiled deviously.

Randy walked throughout Lakehurst, sad and lonely. He wanted nothing more but to be holding Brittany's hand. Randy was knocked out of his thoughts when Quinn approached him. _"Hey what's wrong sexy?"_ Randy looked at her confused, _"What?"_ Quinn smiled showing her bright white teeth. Randy knew what she was thinking._ "Look you might like me but I don't want anything to do with you!" _Randy yelled trying to walk away. But, Quinn dragged him into an empty class room.

"_Come on, Randy I'm just looking for fun, or a friend."_ Quinn said rubbing against him. _"Well we can be friends and that's all_," Randy said as he looked at her. She really was beautiful if he didn't like Brittany he would've gave into Quinn's pleading. _"Fine, but when you're done fantasizing about that Taylor Swift wannabe... how about you give me a call or stop by, anytime." _Quinn then winked at him and walked out.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor had his head phones in; he was blasting his playlist and didn't feel like being bothered. As he walked over to his locker he looked up and saw **Miles **and **Rachel**.

_"What?"_ he asked as he opened his locker and started taking books out. _"Where have you been?"_ Rachel asked her cousin. _"At home, why?" _Trevor asked as he didn't even look at either of them. Miles laughed sarcastically, _"Why?"_ he repeated. _"Because, we've been worried about you... you've missed a week of school because of what happened."_ Trevor slammed his locker shut, _"What the hell are you talking about?" _Trevor asked him.

Miles only nodded as Rachel stepped in front of him. _"He's talking about what happened with Connie,"_ Rachel whispered. Trevor only smiled to hide the pain. _"Didn't I tell you that we had sex? She didn't rape me."_ Trevor made sure to whisper the last part. He couldn't have anyone finding out about it. _"Look, what Connie did, you can't let her get away with it Trevor,"_ Rachel said, trying to reason with him. _"Look, I'm a guy and things like this don't happen to guys like me!" _Trevor shouts as he starts to walk away.

_"Dude, wait!"_ Miles calls out and this is enough to get Trevor to turn around. _"Yeah?"_ he asked. Trevor only wanted to leave he didn't want to be bothered_. "What happened to you was wrong, but don't say that this type of stuff doesn't happen to guys. Because, it does... all the time,"_ Miles told him. Rachel nodded, _"Miles is right, there's nothing you can do to change it now you just have to let Connie know that she didn't win."_ Trevor looked at Rachel and just laughed at her. _"She did win."_ Trevor turned around walked down the hall; with his music still blasting.

**HANNAH TANNER**

Hannah was sitting down in the computer room, which happened to be the place where the newspaper was written. Hannah and a few others waited patiently for the announcement of who was on the newspaper and who wasn't. Just then the door opened and Dustin came in with a list of who was in and who was out.

_"Ladies and gentlemen, drum roll please!"_ Dustin shouted. _"Let's get this over with!"_ Hannah shouted as everyone started laughing. Dustin then smiled as he started to call out names. _"Hannah Tanner, you're in!" _That's the only thing that Hannah heard as she started spacing out.

When she was brought back into reality, the remaining people left were the ones on the team. She smiled at Dustin and he smiled back. "_Alright, so everyone come up and get a copy of the article that you submitted... this will be your first article, so develop it."_ Dustin started calling up people. Hannah realized that she wasn't called and she became a little confused.

"Um, Dustin," Hannah said as she walked over to him. _"Did you not copy my article?"_ she asked him and Dustin nodded._ "I can't do that, Hannah,"_ Dustin told her as he sat down at his computer. "Why not," Hannah asked. _"Because, it's about suicide, death...poison... I love it."_ Hannah became confused, _"Then why didn't you make a copy?"_ _"Principal Richards doesn't. She specifically told me that if you post that in the school paper, you're expelled,"_ Dustin told her. _"But, it's the truth. Besides, students have a right to know about these types of things_!" Hannah shouted. Dustin looked at her. _"I know, she knows that, but do parents know. Hannah this is the school newspaper... something that's supposed to be full of cheer, give them that."_ Hannah looked at Dustin. _"I can't do cheer not after what happened and you know that!" _Hannah shouted as she collected her things and left.

**RANDY TAMBURRINO**

Randy walks into his bedroom and throws himself down onto his bed. He hated being alone. He hated not having a girlfriend, well a friend with benefits.

"_Randy you have a visitor!" _ Michael – Randy's dad – yelled from down stairs. _"Okay, send them up!"_ Randy yelled knowing it was Brittany. But he was wrong, it was Quinn.

"_How did you find out where I live?" _Randy asked a little freaked out_. "I followed you home…"_ Randy looked at her kind of scared of her but also attracted to her at the same time_. "Look I know what you came here for." "Oh yeah what's that?"_ Quinn asked sitting on his bed and rubbing his leg. _"You came here thinking I would have sex with you."_ Randy says with a straight face_. "Randy you're so full of yourself."_ Quinn says as she kisses him. _"Stop, Quinn!" _Randy yells getting up from his bed. "Come on! I won't tell! Just kiss me back!" Quinn yells as Randy kisses her. _"THERE!"_ Randy yells looking at her then kissing her again. They fall onto his bed.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor walked into the cafe, and spotted Connie who is playing pool in the lobby of her college cafe.

_"Damn,"_ Connie stated as she missed the 8-ball. Just then one of friends cleared their throat. Connie looked up and saw Trevor_. "Wow, Lee took you long enough, back for round 2?"_ she asked him. Trevor looked at her, _"I hope you burn in hell!"_ Trevor told her. Connie immediately put down the pool stick and grabbed Trevor's arm and walked with him over to a table. _"What?"_

Trevor sat across the table form Connie. _"Why did you do it to me?"_ Trevor asks. _"Do what?"_ Connie asks him. "Rape me!" Trevor states. _"I didn't rape you."_ Connie says with a smile. Trevor starts to cry. _Why am I crying! I don't cry!_

"_Stop lying!"_ Trevor yelled getting pissed off. _"Look if you tell anyone I'll make sure I ruin your life!" "You already have!" _Trevor yelled about to leave. _"Tell anyone and I'll say you raped me! Who do you think would win in a court of law?"_

Trevor leaned down, _"Do it Connie, I wonder who? Will it be the college skank or the high school kid with a video tape?"_ Trevor looked at her and winked and Connie sat there, silent.

Trevor walked out of the cafe and pulled out his cell phone, _"Hey Mom,"_ Trevor said when he heard her answer the phone. _"What time are you going to be home_?" he asked, _"We have a lot to talk about."_ Trevor then continued to walk.


	5. Mistake

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER FIVE: **_"Mistake"_

**DREW TORRES**

"_What're you talking about?" _**Drew **asked. He was pacing back and forth on the phone. **Vanessa **sighed on the other end of the phone. _"Look, they told me this last night. Trust me I'm just as surprised about this as I you are." _**Vanessa **sighed once again, this sparked something in Drew. _"They just can't pick you up and force you to move, right?" _Drew asked as he waited for an answer. _"You serious, they're my parents Drew. Wherever they go, I go… that's the way it's always been." _**Drew **scoffed. _"That's stupid." _**Vanessa **scoffed, _"Wow, you just called me stupid," _Vanessa whispered. _"No, baby, I called your parents stupid." _Drew mentally slapped himself when the words left his lips – he couldn't take them back now.

"_Wow, call me when you're done being a baby!" _Vanessa shouted through the phone. _"V, I didn't…" _Drew didn't get a chance to finish; because, Vanessa had already hung the phone up.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **__"Wait, he's gay?" _**Brittany **asks as she looks at **Cedric **who is nodding. _"Yep, he's in my ballet class_. _"So, because he likes ballet he's gay?" _**Quinn** asks. Cedric looks at her, _"Duh!" _he shouts as **Randy **makes his way over to them. _"Hey, cutie," _Randy says as he pulls Brittany into a kiss.

Quinn knows he's doing it on purpose. _"What's going on?" _Randy asks. Quinn sighs, _"Cedric thinks he's gay," _Quinn said as she pointed to **Keith**. _"What? Keith Owen? There's no way that Keith's gay!" _Randy said, defending his newfound friend.

"_He takes ballet!" _Cedric said. _"Meaning two things, he's gay and I have a potential love interest." _Cedric started to walk about, but Quinn caught his arm. _"There's only one way to be sure if he's gay, a test," _she whispered as Cedric smiled at her. _"Guys, don't." _Brittany was annoyed that they ignored her plea. Quinn started to walk in Keith's direction.

"_Keith. Keith Owen?" _Quinn asked. Keith nodded, smiling at her – checking her out. _"Sup?" _he asked her. Quinn looked at him up and down. She then looked back to see that Randy was becoming a little jealous, because his hand was bald up into a fist. _"Well, my birthday's coming up and I was wondering if you'd like to get me a cake?" _Quinn whispered into his ear. _"What kind?" _Keith asked. Quinn smiled, _"Chocolate?" _

Cedric didn't like what was going on. So, he walked over and slightly shoved Quinn a little. _"Quinn he's gay!" _Cedric shouted. Keith automatically became mute. He couldn't believe that Cedric would say that. Keith pushed Cedric to lockers, _"I'm not gay, and you are… faggot!" _Keith shouted as he stormed down the hall. Randy rushes behind him.

Brittany walked over to her friend, _"What did I do?" _Cedric asked as everyone in the hall was whispering.

**CAMIELLE DAVIES**

**Camielle **is walking beside **Sarah**. _"Ugh, it's like they knew I was suspended," _Sarah whispered to the girl. Camielle only shrugged, _"Hey, don't pay any attention to them… they're just mad because my sister is kick ass and theirs aren't," _Camielle whispered. Camielle then noticed that a girl was staring at Sarah, Camielle jumped at her and the girl backed down. Sarah smiled, _"What? You're not taking my place are you, sis?" _Sarah asked the girl. Camielle shrugged, _"Nobody messes with my sister. I meant that." _Sarah smiles at the girl, _"Hey, I heard about you saving Etienne," _Sarah said. Just then **Etienne** walked out of the classroom and bumped into Camielle.

"_Camielle, hey," _Etienne said as he pulled her into a hug. That hug, was something Sarah didn't like. _"Alright, that's enough… thanks for not letting my sister get hurt, now get lost." _Sarah started to pull Camielle away. Camielle jerked back, _"Sarah, stop, what's your damage?" _Camielle asked her.

Sarah was shocked, _"Look, sorry to burst your bubble… but, this guy is bad news, he's no good… he's dangerous. You of all people should know that!" _Sarah shouted. Everyone was watching the trio. Etienne started to leave, but Camielle grabbed his hand. _"No, don't listen to her," _Camielle whispered as Sarah looked at her furiously.

"_God, you're dating him, I can't believe you!" _Sarah stated as she pushed Etienne away from Camielle. _"Outside… Now! Or do I have to call mom and inform her of who're planning on visiting in jail two weeks from now?" _Sarah stated. Camielle gasped. _"You're lucky I didn't say this weekend." _Camielle stormed out of the building with Sarah behind her. Etienne watched as the crowd in the hallway dispersed.

**DREW TORRES**

"_Vanessa, you're moving?" _**Rachel **questioned. The words had caught Drew's attention as he started to walk towards them. _"Maybe," _Vanessa whispered. Rachel looked up; this caused Vanessa to automatically know who was coming up to her. _"Hey, need any moral support?" _Rachel asked her friend. Vanessa nodded, _"Go, I'll text you the details." _With that, Rachel walked the opposite direction.

"_V, you mad?" _Drew asked as Vanessa closed her locker. _"Gee, of course not!" _Vanessa stated, sarcastically. Drew smiled, _"Really? That's awesome!" _Drew said then realizing she was being sarcastic. _"Hey, I said I'm sorry… I don't really know what else I can do," _Drew said, sighing at the end. _"Oh I don't know, how about 'V, I'm going to miss you – but, your parents are good people, they have your best interest at heart'." _

Drew looked at her. _"Oh my God, you act as if I'm not a good boyfriend!" "No, I never said you weren't. It's just… the stuff that you do… makes me wonder if you're in this for all the right reasons." _Drew looked at her confusingly. _"Are you in it because you actually care about me? Or are you in it because I was the first girl to look your way after Renee lied?" _Vanessa asked him. Drew sighed as he placed his hand on his head.

"_Oh, God," _Vanessa whispered – that was the reason Drew was dating her – or so she thought. _"Vanessa, I like you… you know that. So why would you even…" Drew_ started, but Vanessa cut him off. _"I have to go. If I'm late again, I have to serve detention." _Drew watched as the girl left him standing in the hall.

Drew walked into his classroom – taking a seat at an empty lab station. Later, someone slammed their stuff next to his, looking up, he saw **Bianca**.

"_Sup, lab partner?" _Bianca asked. Drew shrugged; he didn't even know they were assigned a project. Bianca frowned, _"That bad?" _Bianca asked as Drew looked at her. _"I guess you could say that." _Bianca smiled, a little. _"How about we talk about it when I come over tonight," _Bianca stated as she took a seat next to him. _"Is this just your way of seeing what Adam's doing?" _Drew asked. Bianca nodded, _"Guilty as charged." _Both Bianca and Drew shared a laugh as they were then silenced by the teacher. However, they started laughing through their whispers.

**CEDRIC CARTER**

**BALLET STUDIO – **Cedric finishes his routine, he spots Keith, who isn't in uniform – he's talking to the instructor – **Antonio**. Cedric decides to make his way over, to try and at least apologize for what happened. _"Keith…" _Cedric began.

"_Keith, I'll talk to you later," _Antonio said as he walked around Cedric, patting his back for good luck. _"What do you want?" _Keith asked. _"To apologize," _Cedric started. Keith only sighed. _"What I did was wrong. But, you have to understand I thought you were gay – I thought for once I'd found someone who was willing to even consider dating me." _Keith watched as Cedric froze up – he felt a little bad.

"_Dude, you gotta understand that I'm not gay; hell, I don't even want a girlfriend right now! I just want to dance live life to the fullest and be who I am, which is not gay." _Cedric nodded. _"I shouldn't have called you the 'f' word, you didn't deserve that. But, at the same time you have to respect me as well, are we clear?" _Keith finished with a question.

Cedric smiled, _"Crystal. Um, are we… um, cool?" "We have to be, or these girls will team up on us," _Keith said as he and Cedric fist-bumped.

**CAMIELLE DAVIES**

Camielle opened the house door; then slammed it. This alarmed **Kelly **and **Lily – **Camielle and Sarah's mother _– _both. Lily stood up, _"Camielle, you okay?" _she asked. Camielle turned around; she was on the verge of tears. _"Me? Oh, I'm fine. It's Lakehurst High's Biggest Slut that you should be worried about!" _Camielle shouted. Lily was shocked at the statement.

Sarah entered, hearing what Camielle had said. _"Excuse me?" _Sarah asked. Camielle didn't back down. _"I'm not a slut. You're just mad because everyone at the school knows just what type of bitch you are!" _Sarah shouted at the girl. _"Oh my God, you're so jealous of me!" _Camielle shouted. _"How so," _Sarah asked her.

"_Calm down. Both of you, I meant it." _Lily said, Kelly joining her. _"No, mother… you both need to hear this!" _Camielle stated. _"For years it's always been 'Sarah this' or 'Sarah that' – nobody ever paid me any attention! I would go out of my way just to get the very thing, yet no one cared. I would cry my eyes out before I was finally able to go to sleep. Now, Sarah goes and pulls a stunt – she was a stripper – yet, there I was, there for her. Now, the one time I needed her to be there for me, she tells me that the one guy who's ever thought about me as something more than a pretty face is 'dangerous' and 'no good'." _Camielle paused, to let the tears fall down her cheek.

"_You're jealous because someone actually likes me for me and my world doesn't revolve around 'the' Sarah Davies. Another thing, I've been a supporting character in this show for far too long… I'm done, you can go to hell!" _Camielle shouted as she directed everything towards Sarah. Camielle then stormed up to her room.

**DREW TORRES**

Drew started walking down the hall. _"Well, I've been quite busy, now that we're not together!" _Bianca shouted as Drew came around the corner. Drew's eyes fell on **Adam **whowas leaning on Drew's computer desk.

"_Ugh, out! Bianca's mine for the next hour!" _Drew called out as Adam looked defeated. _"Guys, I don't mind being shared," _Bianca said, as if flirting. Adam smiled as he started for the door. _"Oh, Bianca," _Adam began, getting the girl's attention. _"It's great to see you again." _With that, Adam left and Bianca let out a breath that she had no idea she was holding. Drew only snickered.

"_Is something funny, Torres?" _Bianca asked as she stood up and walked towards the boy. _"Nah, just… you're too good for him." _Bianca paused at the words. _"You're too good for Vanessa," _she whispered as she looked at him. Bianca's eyes fell to the floor as she reached for her bag. _"I should go before I do something I regret." _Bianca started for the door. Drew jogged up to it, and closed it in front of her. This caused Bianca to turn around and meet his lips.

"_Vanessa?" _Bianca asked. _"Broke up with me," "Adam?" "Is single," _with that, they continued to kiss. Later, they ended up on the bed. There was no turning back.


	6. Lose Yourself (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER SIX: **_"Lose Yourself (1)"_

**ALLI BHANDARI**

**Alli **sighed, _"Welcome back, Alli." _Alli knocked on the door of her house. **Mrs. Bhandari **opened the door and smiled. _"Allia, you're home," _Mrs. Bhandari said as Alli smiled at her mother.

"_Now that you're home… we can discuss you going back to school," _**Mr. Bhandari **said as he sipped his coffee. Alli looked at the man, confusingly. _"Dad, I'm not going back to school…" _Alli began as he shot her a look. _"What, of course you are!" _Mr. Bhandari began, getting a little frustrated. _"No, I'm not. Being out on my own really made me start to think… I can do this adult thing, without school!" _Alli stated. Mr. Bhandari sighed.

"_Education is a valuable thing. Apparently, we've been too lenient when it comes to the choices you make," _Mr. Bhandari commented. Mrs. Bhandari shushed him. _"The choices I make, huh? No… the choices you make for me!" _Alli states as she stands up. _"I learnt a lot while I was gone," _Alli began. _"Like?" _her father interrupted her. _"That I don't need parents, especially a father!" _Alli shouted as she started for the door.

"_Allia," _Mrs. Bhandari started, but Alli slammed the door. Mrs. Bhandari turned around. _"You just couldn't let it drop. We were finally on our way to starting a family, one without arguments and drama… you just keep pushing and pushing her further away!" _Mrs. Bhandari said as she left the kitchen, Mr. Bhandari watching her.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Melanie **watches as the group of girls that used to terrorize her are walking by. Melanie starts to get up, but they get in front of her. The main one – **Lydia **is who she's afraid of. _"What?" _Melanie asks as Lydia smiles deviously. _"Nothing, we were going to go get lunch, we wanted to know if you'd like to join us?" _Lydia asks. But, Melanie only shakes her head, _"What about Camielle?" _she asks. Lydia scoffs, _"That bitch, oh, haven't you heard? She ditched us!" _Lydia shouted as the two girls behind her snickered.

Melanie didn't like the way this was going. If Camielle was gone – the girls were more than likely to be even more evil to her now. _"Thanks, but no thanks," _Melanie said as she began walking away. But, Lydia got in front of her. _"Oh come on, last year semester Camielle was a bitch. We're going to make it up to you, okay?" _Lydia said. Melanie couldn't believe that she even believed these words. _"Okay," _Melanie nodded as Lydia put her arm around Melanie's shoulder and lead Melanie down the hall.

**Camielle **and **Etienne **are talking by the lockers. Camielle notices Melanie walking with Lydia and the other two girls. Camielle scoffs, _"No way!" _she states. Etienne becomes confused as Camielle goes over to the group. _"What the hell is going on?" _Camielle asks. Lydia becomes confused. _"We're taking Melanie out for lunch at the Dot; to make up for the damage you caused her last semester!" _Lydia stated. Camielle shook her head.

"_Melanie, I thought you were smarter than that?" _Camielle stated as Melanie looked at her. Camielle went over towards one of the girls and grabbed their backpack, _"Hey, Camielle!" _the girl shouted. Camielle threw the bag to Etienne, _"Open it!" _Camielle called out. _"You got it!" _Etienne called back. When he opened it, spray paint was inside. Lydia and the girls stormed off; Etienne only snickered as the girl jerked her book bag and Etienne still held the spray paint. Camielle looked at Melanie.

"_What just happened?" _Melanie asked. _"They were about to pull a Michelangelo," _Camielle started. _"Yep, and you were about to be their canvas," _Etienne finished. Melanie knew it, no matter what she would never be able to make friends – no matter how hard she tried. Melanie walked away from the scene; Camielle looking at her and Etienne slightly smiled, _"You're getting soft on me," _he whispered, Camielle playfully hit him.

**VANESSA MAYANS**

**Vanessa **smiled, she saw **Drew **talking to **Adam**. How could she stay mad at him? He's her boyfriend. Vanessa walked towards him, _"Hey, cutie!" _Vanessa stated. Drew looked confused, Adam was too. _"Drew, I thought you said you and Vanessa broke up," _Adam said. Vanessa gasped. _"Why would you say that?" _Vanessa asked. _"I… I thought we did." _Drew said. Adam looked at him and snickered. _"Wow, you sure you're a ladies' man?" _Adam asked as Drew playfully punched him. Adam started going through his locker. Drew looked back at Vanessa.

"_Hey, I was being a bit… – a very bad person," _Vanessa whispered. Drew sighed; he couldn't believe that he had slept with Bianca, how could he be so stupid? Vanessa wasn't the type to stay mad forever. _"I talked it over with my parents, they said that as long as I'm working, I can buy an apartment and stay here, with you." _Drew felt even worse. He had to tell her now.

Drew smiled, he faked it. He then looked around; spotting **Bianca**, he had to come up with a quick lie. _"I should probably get to class; I really need to talk to about this project." _Vanessa only watched as Drew walked jogged down the hall.

Vanessa turned to look at Adam. _"What was that about?" _Vanessa asked. _"He and Bianca were working on a project, it was supposed to be an hour, and she left at midnight." _Vanessa shrugged, _"They started at 7 o'clock." _Adam then walked off and Vanessa started down the hallway.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

"_Ugh," _Alli sighed as she looked at Lakehurst. She couldn't believe that she was here right now. She hated this. Alli heard a familiar laugh; it knocked her out of her thoughts. When she looked she saw her – **Rachel **or, as she puts it, one of her best friends. Rachel was walking and talking with **Trevor**.

"_Yeah, well… you just make sure that Renee knows that if she pulls another stunt like that, I'll kick her ass!" _Rachel said as Trevor and she shared a laugh. _"Well, someone's scrappy." _Rachel looked up, seeing Alli. Rachel froze in shock; she couldn't believe the girl was here. _"Alli," _Rachel began. Trevor was smiling as well. _"I'll give you two some space," _he whispered as he smiled at Alli, she returned the smile as he walked away. Rachel immediately hugged the girl.

Rachel and Alli are sitting down on a bench outside of Lakehurst. _"So, I hear Vanessa's got my sloppy seconds," _Alli joked referring to Drew. _"Yeah, but she's happy… or at least I think," _Rachel admitted as she looked down. _"Hey, how's Trevor… I heard that – well read that he was… um, raped." _That statement still sent shivers down Rachel's spine. _"He's fine, just about as fine as one can be when dealing with this… read?" _Rachel said, later realizing how Alli found out about it.

"_I'm following Sarah, she's cool now, but the girl needs to learn to be a tad bit more sensitive," _Alli said. Rachel only shook her head, looking down. _"It's just, today's one big surprise after the other." _Alli smiled at Rachel's statement. _"True that." _Alli then smiled at her friend – this was one of the ups of being back in Toronto.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Melanie is sitting outside, her legs are propped up and she's drawing in her sketchpad. She was thinking of ways to get back at Lydia and the other two girls – mainly Lydia. _"Oh, that's cool." _That statement drew her attention to someone who was watching her draw the entire time. _"Have you ever heard of the term personal space?" _Melanie asked the boy. He smiled, _"Sorry, I'm Nick." _Melanie smiled at **Nick**.

"_Melanie," _Melanie said as Nick shook her hand. _"I should get going, my girlfriend gets upset… fast," _Nick said as he jogged out. Melanie was smiling until she saw who his girlfriend was, Lydia. She then smiled again. She knew the first stage in her revenge scheme.

**VANESSA MAYANS**

Vanessa rounded the corner, she spotted Drew and Bianca and decided to go back and watch them. _"You said she broke up with you," _Bianca began. Drew shrugged, _"I thought so, turns out… we just had a fight." _Bianca sighed; she didn't know what was going to happen. _"Does she know that we slept together?" _Bianca asked.

Vanessa was shocked. She moved around the corner, _"She does now!" _Vanessa shouted as she folded her arms and looked at Drew. _"What the hell? Why would you sleep with that piece of trash?" _Vanessa asked. Bianca laughed, _"Please, I gave him the best twenty minutes of his life!" _Vanessa laughed, _"What'd you do, take him out for ice cream after the thirty seconds were up?" _Drew tried to calm them both down.

"_V, please, can we talk later?" _Drew asked. _"No, because we're done, I mean that!" _Vanessa stated. She couldn't believe that she went out of her way just to get her parents to let her get her own apartment. Vanessa started walking down the hall as Drew and Bianca stood there.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

Alli walked back into the house, Mr. and Mrs. Bhandari were waiting at the kitchen table. _"You called?" _Alli asked as she entered the kitchen. Mrs. Bhandari nodded and Alli sat down, she knew what their silence meant. _"Well?" _Alli asked as Mr. Bhandari cleared his throat.

"_We've decided that if you wish to reside in this household, you must attend school," _Mr. Bhandari said as Alli looked at him; rolling her eyes. _"Alright," _Alli began as she stood up, heading for the stairs. _"I told you she'd change her mind," _Mr. Bhandari gloated. Mrs. Bhandari smiled. Alli scoffed, _"I'm not going to school… I'm moving out!" _Alli stated as she walked up the stairs. Mrs. Bhandari shot a glance towards Mr. Bhandari, both looking shocked and hurt.


	7. Lose Yourself (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER SEVEN: **_"Lose Yourself (2)"_

**ALLI BHANDARI**

**Alli **is on the phone; she's walking through the park. _"Sav, I've never felt better." "Where am I staying?" _Alli started to think of a lie. _"With a friend, trust me… it is safe, I just… I can't go back home, because mom and dad have pissed me off for the last time!" _Alli stated as she stopped next to a trashcan, her stomach growling. _"I'll call you back," _Alli whispered as she watched a girl throw away a burger. Alli watched as the woman left with her friends and Alli looked at the trashcan. Immediately, she fishes the burger out of the trash. Alli tears around the bite marks and finishes off the remaining piece. Alli decides to walk away. She doesn't realize that someone has just taken a picture of her.

Alli continues to walk towards Lakehurst; she's late for her daily meeting with Rachel. However, **Trevor **is there. _"Trevor? Where's Rachel?" _Alli asks. Trevor looks at her, _"Family issues." _Alli smiled as she started to walk away, but Trevor stopped her. _"There's something you should see," _Trevor told her as he held up his phone; he was logged onto his twitter and when Alli looked onto his phone, she saw pictures of herself eating out of the trashcan. _"God, I have to go drop off the face of the Earth!" _Alli stated. Trevor tried to stop her, but Alli was far gone.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Melanie **is sitting in her classroom; she's watching **Nick **and **Lydia**. Lydia is kissing on Nick's neck; he's acting as if he doesn't like it. Melanie continues to stare at him, she sketching his face into her sketchpad. **Camielle **enters the classroom and peers over Melanie's shoulder, _"Oh, when Lydia finds out…" _Camielle began. Melanie felt stupid, _"You'd tell her?" _Melanie asked. Camielle snickered, _"Hell no, I dislike you, but I hate her." _Melanie didn't know whether that satisfied her or not.

Camielle shook her head, _"You're pathetic," _she whispered. _"Bottom line, whatever it is that you're planning… I want in." _Melanie was shocked. _"What makes you think I'm planning something?" _Melanie asked. Camielle only shook her head. _"Melanie, denial's not a good look on you," _Camielle whispered as the teacher came into the classroom.

Melanie rolled her eyes as she watched Nick near the two girls. _"Hey," _Nick said as Camielle looked up. _"Are you two working together? Because, Lydia wants to work with Nichole and Becca," _Melanie watched Nick as he waited for an answer. Camielle noticed this and smiled at him, _"Hey, you don't have to ask… sit down. Melanie here will fill you in on what we're planning on doing, I'll go get the supplies," _Camielle said as she got up and walked away.

"_Well, if your ideas are anything like your drawings, I'm pretty sure they're going to be spectacular," _Nick said. _"Kind of like you," _Melanie mentally slapped herself when she realized that she said that out loud. _"Thanks,_" Nick said, he was smiling – Melanie didn't realize that she was making such a good impression.

**VANESSA MAYANS**

**Vanessa **walked into Lakehurst; with her head held high. She didn't feel like talking to **Drew**, to be honest, she just wanted them to never talk again. Vanessa spotted **Adam **sitting down by his locker, she knew that he knew. Vanessa walked towards him.

"_Adam," _Vanessa began, catching the boy's attention. _"Van…" _Adam was cut off by Drew, who had just come around the corner. _"So, you're too sick to talk to me, but not my brother?" _Drew asked. _"Look, I don't have time for this… Just get out of my way," _Vanessa said, she and Drew immediately got into a staring contest. _"You know I like you, so why are you doing this?" _Drew asked. _"You cheated on me with that slut!" _Vanessa shouted. Drew grew silent.

"_Call me that one more time!" _**Bianca **shouted as she started walking down the hall. _"I dare you," _Bianca finished as she stood nearly two feet away from Vanessa. _"You, Bianca DeSousa, are a slut!" _Vanessa shouted.

Drew looked back and forth; Bianca instantly pushed Vanessa. Vanessa scoffed as she bald her hand into a fist and swung, punching Bianca in the face hard. Bianca turned and returned the punch. It caused Vanessa to turn the opposite direction. Bianca grabbed her hair and slammed her into a locker. Vanessa screamed as she elbowed Bianca in the stomach. Bianca went down to hold her stomach. Vanessa turned and pounced on Bianca – both girls were now rolling around the floor. Drew and Adam were in shock and then tried to break it up.

Drew had Vanessa in his arms. _"I cannot believe for one second I even considered fighting over you!" _Vanessa shouted as she broke away from him. _"You're scum!" _Vanessa stated and before she knew it, before Drew knew it, her hand came across his face.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

Alli is staring at her house, she can't believe she's even considering going back to school just to come back home. Alli is about to knock on the door, until she hears Trevor clearing his throat. _"Trevor, what are you doing here?" _Alli asked. Trevor looked down, then up again, _"I came here to tell you that you don't have to give up," _he said. Alli looked at him, _"Yeah, I do. My dad was right; I don't have what it takes to be an adult!" _Alli shouted. She was really giving up.

"_Look, I know it sucks… I get it. You put your faith in your parents… the least they can do is be there when the going gets tough," _Trevor said. Alli sat down on the steps, _"How could you possibly relate to this? My father is disappointed in me," _Alli said. Trevor made his way over to the girl and sat down beside her.

"_You remember those rumors about me… and my dad, my biological dad?" _Alli nodded at his question. _"Well, my mom was with my uncle at the time. My real dad use to beat me, pretty bad. He told me I was never going to amount to anything; to make matter worse, I've hit a pretty low place in my life right now," _Trevor said as he looked at his hands. Alli smiled faintly as she took his hands. _"But, you're too strong… I'm not," _Alli said.

Trevor shook his head, _"No, you're wrong. Alli, you're stronger than all of this." _For some reason, Alli believed him. Trevor looked at her. _"Come on, there's someone that just may be able to help," _Trevor said as he led Alli down the street.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Nick laughed; Melanie did too. He then looked at her, _"You're funny," _he said as she smiled at him. _"Oh, you're way too nice," _Melanie said as Nick only sighed. _"God, you just don't know how to take a compliment," _Nick said as Melanie blushed. _"Ah, the Ice Queen does blush!" _Nick shouted as Melanie playfully slapped his arm. Nick noticed Lydia looking at him. _"Yeah, I gotta go," _Nick said, but Melanie grabbed his arm. _"Why is a guy like you with her?" _Melanie asked – she regretted that. Nick wasn't mad, instead, he smiled. _"Because, if she didn't know someone cared about her, she'd be miserable," _Nick said. Melanie only sighed, that's the way she felt. Melanie watched as Nick left and Melanie started towards her locker. She spotted **Etienne **and Camielle kissing.

"_Ugh, keep it PG!" _Melanie scoffed. Camielle only snickered, _"Whatever. So, how's the revenge going?" _Camielle asked. Melanie looked down, _"As usual, Melanie Strauss backs down!" _Melanie said, referring to herself. Etienne smiled, _"Wow, Melanie you're so hard on yourself," _he said as Camielle shushed him.

Melanie rolled her eyes. Camielle only smiled. She couldn't believe that she and Melanie were starting to develop some sort of mutual bond. _"Look, Lydia's a bitch. You're not, Nick sees that and Nick likes it. You're going to be his number one after awhile," _Camielle said. Melanie smiled as Camielle and Etienne started to leave. _"Oh, are you coming?" _Camielle asked.

Melanie was shocked at the offer; she's waited for this to happen. She had stopped communicating with her internet stalker. Now, here was Camielle Davies and Etienne DeSousa including her in their group. Melanie smiled as she joined them, Camielle playfully bumping her hip into hers.

**VANESSA MAYANS**

Vanessa is pacing back and forth in her apartment. She has ice on her hand; she still can't believe that she punched Bianca DeSousa. Vanessa's phone starts ringing – she looks at the caller id; it's Drew. Vanessa puts the phone to her ear, _"What?" "V let me explain…" "Explain what?" _Vanessa immediately asked. She didn't have time for any of this really. _"Look, Vanessa I like you. You know that. I risked my life just to save you, because… I care about you more than you'll ever know!" _Drew said on the other end. Vanessa sighed, he was right. Vanessa was finding herself falling in love with Drew. But, that didn't change the fact that he lied to her; cheated on her. She was not about to be blind to that fact.

"_Well, if you could do that, then how come you couldn't turn down temptation for me?" _Vanessa asked. Drew fell silent. Vanessa shrugged, _"I knew it, you're a great guy, Drew… really, but… I can't do this anymore," _Vanessa whispered as she hung up the phone. Vanessa held back tears. She had to – there was no way she was about to cry over Drew. But, she couldn't help but feel sad. He had saved her life not too long ago and she would forever be grateful for that. But, that doesn't give him the right to cheat on her with the first slut that takes interest in him.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

Trevor is walking towards a door, Alli is behind him. _"Here we are," _Trevor said as Alli became confused. _"What's this?" _Alli asked. _"This, Alli, is your new apartment… I just hope you and your new roommate can get along," _Trevor said as he smiled at her. Alli looked at him and doesn't know what to say, _"Wait, roommate?" _Alli asked. Just then the door opened to reveal a familiar person, Alli is shocked.

"_Alli Bhandari, you've got some explaining to do." _Alli smiled at Vanessa who pulled her into a hug. Trevor watched as the girls hugged one another. He was glad that they were reunited. But, he was not as glad as Alli and Vanessa were.


	8. Shake It Out (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER EIGHT: **_"Shake It Out (1)"_

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

**Dustin **started fixing himself something to eat. "Hey, mom," Dustin said as **Ashley **entered the room. _"Don't call me that," _Ashley stated as she sat down at the table. Dustin had to get out of the house quick before he was late for school. _"Here's your breakfast!" _he exclaimed as he sat the plate of food down on the table. _"Ugh, can you please stop damn it yelling!" _Ashley stated as she placed her hand on her head. Dustin sighed, a definite sign of a hangover. _"Mom, maybe you should stop drinking." _The statement caused Ashley to sigh before grabbing the plate and throwing it at Dustin, the plate shattering as it collided with his shoulder. _"I'm the adult, you're the bastard!" _Ashley stated as she walked out. Dustin only looked down at the floor and checked his shoulder. Another day, his mother hadn't gone one day without hitting him.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Sarah **sighed as she neared her locker. **Monique **looked at the girl, _"Sarah, what's wrong?" _she asked her friend. Sarah only shrugged, _"A representative from Yale is coming today…I scheduled an interview." _Monique smiled, _"Well, Sarah that's great!" _Monique exclaimed. _"Is it?" _Sarah asked. _"I mean what if she knows about my promiscuous ways… I mean what then?" _Sarah asks as Monique only stares at her friend.

"_Wait," _Monique began, _"haven't you been studying your ass off to rebuild everything?" _Monique asks as Sarah only looks. _"Yeah, but…" _she started, but Monique interrupted, _"Then shut up, you're going to get into Yale and make everyone jealous." _Monique started to walk away, and Sarah wanted to believe her, but she just couldn't.

Sarah started to walk down the hall, but she spotted the representative from Yale – **Olivia – **setting up. Sarah smiled as she went over to go talk to the woman. _"Hello?" _Sarah began, Olivia only looked at her. _"I'm Sarah Davies, I really love your school," _she whispered as Olivia. _"Oh, well, maybe you should apply next year…" _Olivia stated. Sarah sighed, _"I applied this year actually, and I'm a senior." _Olivia looked at Sarah after her statement.

"_Did you say Sarah Davies?" _Olivia asked. Sarah nodded, _"Well, it's going to be kind of hard for you to get into our school." _Sarah looked at the woman confusingly, _"What do you mean?" _Sarah asked. _"Well, my assistant was surfing the web and he discovered your very personal nightclub life." _Olivia stated as she turned back and walked towards the desk that she had set up. Sarah only stared at the woman and left, heartbroken.

**ADAM TORRES**

**Adam **goes downstairs, _"Mom, are you down here?" _Adam asks as he hears giggling. He looks and spots **Drew **and **Bianca **on the couch, kissing and play fighting. Adam clears his throat, _"Drew, have you seen mom?" _Adam asks. Drew continues to play with Bianca, ignoring Adam completely. _"Hey, douche bag and slut, where's my mother?" _Adam said – that having got their attention.

"_Geez, Adam, you don't have to call us that…we said we're sorry like a thousand times," _Adam heard the words that came out of Drew's mouth, but he'd never be able to forgive either of them for what they did. At that moment, **Audra **walked through the door. _"Oh, Adam, sweetie, help me unload the groceries from the car," _she said as Adam followed her outside.

Adam was about to pick up a carton of eggs, but he stopped. _"Mom, I've been thinking." _With that statement, Audra sighed; she knew when her kids wanted something. _"You see, I've a guy, but… I can't be one all the way if I don't have the equipment," _Adam said. Audra immediately grabbed the last bag and started towards the house, _"We'll talk about this later," _she said.

Adam was shocked, _"What do you mean we'll talk about this later… mom, I want breast reduction surgery!" _Audra turned and looked at Adam, _"Look, you ever think that maybe you're not ready for that yet?" _she asked him. Adam immediately became confused. _"It's just we don't have enough… money, that's right… we're broke." _Adam scoffed at the woman's statement, but let her go inside of the house anyway. Either way, Adam knew who wasn't broke, but could he really go behind his mother's back just to contact that person this was a risk he was going to have to take. He wanted this change more than anybody, besides, it's his life he can do what he wants with it.

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

There she stood, **Hannah**, passing out papers. _"Stop the school paper!" _Hannah shouted as **Jacob **made his way over to her. _"Wow, Hannah, you're crazy?" _Jacob asked her. Hannah disagreed, _"No, I just believe in something and now I'm expressing that belief." _Jacob became confused by the statement, _"You believe that the school paper should be boycotted?" _he asked. Hannah nodded, _"Principal Richards won't allow anything real in the school paper… she says that suicide and death aren't something that people need to read about," _Hannah was becoming sick just by talking about it.

"_She's right," _Jacob stated. Hannah was confused, _"Jacob, I thought you'd be the one person I could count on. _Jacob faintly smiled, _"Hannah, you can… it's just people already know about this stuff, but do you think someone wants to be constantly reminded of someone they've lost day in and day out?" _Jacob asked. Hannah looked down. _"I get that you're still hurting because of Hunter, but maybe it's time to move on? Maybe you should try to get better," _Jacob finished. Hannah looked at him and spotted Dustin, _"There he is!" _Hannah said, ignoring Jacob's words.

Dustin was trying his best to cover up the bruises and then here comes Hannah to make it even more difficult for him. _"Dustin, we need to talk," _Hannah stated. _"Not now, Hannah,_" he whispered, trying to get away from the girl. _"Yes now!" _Hannah shouted as she grabbed his shoulder, the spot his mother had hit him with the glass plate. Dustin winched in pain. Hannah looked at him, _"Wow, didn't know you were so soft," _Hannah said, shocked that she had enough strength to cause him harm. _"No, it's just I was working out too much last night, that's all." _Hannah didn't see the truth in the statement, but that wasn't the point she was about to make.

"_Whatever, I just wanted to let you know that I'm trying to get the school paper…" _Hannah was going to finish, but when she looked in Dustin's eyes she knew that he was hurting – more than he could take at the moment. Hannah only sighed, _"I'm trying to get the school paper back on my transcript and I was wondering if you could help me do that," _Hannah said and Dustin smiled, the first real smile sine he'd woken up.

**SARAH DAVIES**

Sarah makes her way over to her locker; she just wants to go home. She opens it and starts searching for something, _"Where is it?" _she asks silently. _"Ugh, where the hell is it!" _Sarah shouts as she starts to rip her belongings out of her locker. Students in the hallway are starting to crowd around, she hates herself more than anything.

**Miles **is watching the entire thing; he decides to pull her out right here, right now. _"Alright show's over, leave. Now!" _he shouted as the crowd dispersed. _"Sarah, come on…" _Miles started, but she interrupted him, _"No, I can't. I can't keep doing this… I'm not going to Yale." _Miles looked at the girl, _"Says who?" _he asked her. Sarah only shrugged and Miles sighed. _"Look, you're Sarah Davies… you don't give up," _Miles said. Sarah laughed a little, _"You know I'm starting to question whether or not that's true or not." _With that statement, Sarah walked away from Miles, leaving him in the hallway.

**ADAM TORRES**

Adam is on a computer, searching for someone important. **Keith **enters the room, _"Hey, can I use that computer… it's the only one without that YouTube block." _Adam only shrugged, _"Five minutes," _he said as he started writing down an address. Keith stared at him, then looked at the computer screen and became confused. _"Look, I know this may sound nosey, but what're you doing?" _Keith asks the boy.

"_You're right. It does sound nosey," _Adam said as he logged out of the computer and let Keith have it. Adam started walking towards the door and then looked back, _"But, if you must know…" _Adam said, catching Keith's attention. _"I'm going to go find my birth father." _With that, Adam walked out of the classroom, ready to go on a mission. 

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

Ashley** – **Dustin's mother – is smoking a cigarette. Dustin enters the house, quickly and quietly closing the door behind. Dustin tries to sneak up the stairs, _"Come here," _Ashley states as Dustin silently curses himself. _"Ma'am," _Dustin stated as he entered the living room. _"Where were you?" _she asked. Dustin only sighed, _"The kitchen," _Dustin stated. Before he knew it Ashley had struck him and he was lying down on the floor.

"_So, you're lying now?" _Ashley asked. Dustin held his face, _"Mom," _he began; however, Ashley kicked him in the stomach. _"Don't call me that you little bastard!" _Ashley shouted. Dustin only looked at her and stood up. Ashley looked at him and snickered as she punched him back down. _"Stay down, get up again… I swear to you I'm going to kill you!" _Ashley stated as Dustin stayed down.

Ashley started laughing as she walked back over to the sofa. _"You're a punk ass bitch!" _Ashley told him as she sat down and lit another cigarette. Dustin watched her; he didn't have any way out of this. He didn't have anyone to turn to. Of course there was Hannah, but she had her own problems to deal with. But, maybe she could help. Dustin watched the woman and then stood up and ran up the stairs as fast as he could.

"_You little bastard," _Ashley stated as she ran after; however, Dustin was faster and was able to lock and barricade the door before she reached it. Dustin pulled out a bag and started packing his things. Ashley started to bang on the door more and more. Dustin sighed when he finished unpacking. He then looked at his window, he was too high up to jump down – he was trapped. Dustin knew he didn't have a choice it was now or never. Dustin opened the window and then looked back, his heart pounding with every action he took.

BOOM! Ashley was now in the room, she looked around, prepared to inflict as much pain as possible on Dustin. She noticed that the window was open and she panicked. She immediately went into her room to call someone – what if Dustin told someone about what she'd done to him – she'd be thrown in jail. Dustin peeked out of the closet, he'd played Ashley. Dustin snuck out of the room and downstairs and out the door. He looked at the house once more, and grabbed his bike and rode down the empty street.


	9. Shake It Out (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER NINE: **_"Shake It Out (2)"_

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

**Hannah **opened her eyes, she looked up and saw **Dustin**, and she'd been comforting him after he made his way to her house. Her parents had been away for the night and she figured she'd do a deed for a good friend. _"Dustin, wake up," _Hannah whispered as she started to shake.

Dustin opened his eyes and smiled at her, she was pretty in the morning. _"School," _Hannah whispered and Dustin groaned. _"I hate school, five more minutes' mom," _he whispered. Hannah froze at the 'mom' part. _"Are we going to talk about this?" _Hannah asked. Dustin shrugged, _"I don't know, you want to? I mean, my mom hits me, bottom line…I'm nothing." _Dustin said and Hannah shook her head, she failed to believe that he was nothing.

"_Don't say that," _Hannah whispered as she placed her hand in his. He looked at her and smiled, both of them smiling. Dustin was so close to kissing her, but someone had cleared their throat. Hannah looked up and saw her father. _"Dad," _Hannah stated. **Ian **looked at his daughter. _"Hannah, a word." _He stated as Hannah looked at Dustin, apologetic.

"_Dad, before you have cow, I…" _Hannah began, but the man cut her off. _"I know. You're not that type of girl. Just, don't let your mother and I know that you're having company." _Ian said. Hannah was confused, _"You're not mad?" _Hannah asked. _"No, Hannah this is the first time in a while you've started to become yourself again, we're not going to take that away from you." _The statement pleased Hannah as she and her father hugged then broke away.

Hannah walked back into the room, but Dustin was gone.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Sarah **enters the school, with her head held low; she's got on a gray hood to disguise the fact that she's hurting. Sarah makes her way over to her locker and opens it. She remembers her outburst from yesterday and just takes out the books that she needs for her class. When she turns around she's face to face with **Miles**.

"_What?" _she asks and he smiles at her. _"Come with me," _he said as he held out his hand. _"What's going on?" _Sarah said as Miles only shrugged. Sarah gave in and started following him down the hall. She just wanted to get this over with so she could back to sulking. Miles lead her to one of the empty classrooms. Sarah was shocked, _"Miles, I'm not hooking up with you!" _Sarah stated. Miles only ignored that. _"Look, yesterday you told me that you're forgetting who you are… well, we're going to help you find that person." _Sarah looked around, she thought they were alone. But, when she turned around there stood **Monique**, **Trevor**, and **Rachel**.

"_Guys, just give up okay?" _Sarah began, but Trevor blocked the way. _"Turn around," _Trevor whispers as Sarah turns around and looks at Rachel and Monique. _"Sarah, you've never given up…so what makes this time any different?" _Monique asks as Rachel becomes intrigued. Sarah only sighs, _"Because, I lost everything that I've worked so hard to gain. I lost my sister, my future…I'm never going to be the Sarah I was before I started stripping!" _Sarah shouted.

"_That's because you're afraid that that Sarah will do something stupid?" _Rachel began as Sarah nodded. _"What if I go streaking or set something on fire, I'm a screw up and I'll always be one!" _Sarah shouted. The group shared looks; this girl was hurt they didn't know what to do. Trevor cleared his throat, _"Sarah, we all make bad choices, but we can't spend our lives wondering what if, you gotta make it happen." _Sarah could do anything but look down.

Monique walked over to her friend, _"Hey, it's okay to be Sarah "The Bitch" Davies again, okay?" _she asked. Sarah nodded, _"Okay," _Monique and Rachel then hugged the girl as Trevor and Miles only smiled.

**ADAM TORRES**

**Adam **walked out of the classroom and spotted **Drew **and **Bianca **by their lockers. It made him sick to his stomach. _"Drew," _Bianca whispered and Drew spotted Adam and nodded at Bianca as she left. Drew then made his way over to Adam. Adam looked at him confusingly.

"_What're you doing?" _Drew asked and Adam's eyebrows rose, _"I could ask you that same question, bro." _Drew realized that what he'd done to Adam and Bianca's potential relationship was screwed up. _"Look, why is it that I'm hearing from some guy in the locker room about how you're going to go meet your birth dad, isn't the guy a jerk?" _Drew asked. Adam shrugged, _"Don't know, I never met him," _Adam whispered.

"_Does mom know?" _Drew asked and Adam shrugged, _"Nope, and I'm not telling her, neither or you, got it?" _Adam asked. Drew looked at him, _"I can't promise that, I'm telling her when we get to the car!" _Drew exclaims as he leaves to head to his next class. Adam became furious with the boy; he always somehow seems to ruin his life. But, he knew he'd never hate Drew forever.

"_He really makes you want to hit him, huh?" _the voice sounded all too familiar to Adam as he turned around, coming face to face with **Vanessa**. _"V, how are you?" _Adam asked as he pulled the girl into a hug. _"I'm good; Alli's keeping me company during my suspension. I still can't believe that bitch didn't get suspended." _Vanessa's statement caused Adam to feel the need to agree.

"_So, what's going on with you and Drew?" _Vanessa asked. **Keith **made his way over to them, Adam stopped him. _"Dude, did you tell Drew about me going to go see my birth dad?" _Adam asked. Keith nodded, _"Yeah, why was he not supposed to know?" _Keith asked. Adam only shrugged it off as Keith smiled at Vanessa and then walked off.

"_Who's the hottie?" _she asked. Adam only smiled at her, _"Look, I need your help," _Adam asked. Vanessa looked at him and nodded, she'd do anything for Adam. He'd helped her out a lot during the time she was dating Drew, helping her understand that Drew wasn't that bad, she doesn't hate him, and she just wishes he would've told her instead of cheating.

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

Dustin walked into Lakehurst; he tried to cover up the fact that he was still a little sore. **Jacob **notices him, _"Dude, Hannah's looking for you!" _Jacob said. _"What'd she tell you?!" _Dustin asked as he pushed Jacob. Jacob was able to keep his balance, he wasn't about to let a freshman get away with pushing him. Jacob was about to push him back, but Hannah ran in between the boys. _"Don't, Jacob!" _Hannah shouted. Jacob just sighed and walked away.

Hannah looked at him, then back at Dustin, _"So you're going to go pick fights with people now?" _Hannah asked and Dustin just shrugged, _"Why do you care?" _Dustin asked. Hannah looked at him and then kissed him. _"Hannah, you…" _Dustin began. _"What, like you… yep, I do." _With that Dustin knew what he had to do. _"I have to do something, alone." _Dustin looked at Hannah and smiled as he walked out of the school. Hannah knew where he was going. She couldn't let that happen. Hannah turned around heading in the direction Jacob had gone in, _"Jacob, wait up!" _

**SARAH DAVIES**

Sarah made her way towards the office, where **Olivia **was interviewing people for Yale. A girl was waiting at the door. Sarah got in front of her. _"What're you doing?" _the girl asked. _"Shut up Finnegan, you and I both know that you're post-op nose job and that flat ass isn't graduating this year!" _Sarah shouted as she jerked open the door to the office. Olivia looked at her, shocked.

"_Um, Sarah Davies…we don't have an appointment." _Sarah scoffed at the statement, _"Yeah, I figured why schedule one when this isn't one," _Sarah began. _"Listen," _Olivia began, _"No. You listen," _Sarah stated, getting Olivia's attention. _"Yesterday, you told me that I basically didn't have a shot at getting into Yale and then I realized that you don't matter. What matters is what the people above you think. You, sweetheart, are nothing more than a representative, a pawn that can easily be erased. You don't match the criteria of an official. You probably don't know what majors this school has," _Sarah began, and looked down at a brochure and picked it up, _"without looking through a brochure. You see, I know what you people are like… you stuck up rich girls who think you're better than everybody else, because I was one. But, I've grown up and if that crappy assistant saw me in my birthday suit it's because he's a perv." _Sarah started for the door, but Olivia called her name.

Sarah turned and looked at her, _"Nobody's ever done that before, I can't guarantee you a spot a Yale, but I can guarantee you a spot beside me…as an intern, would you like the job?" _Sarah looked at the woman; smiled deviously and nodded, _"I, Sarah Davies, would love the job." _

**ADAM TORRES**

Vanessa and Adam looked at the house. _"This is it?" _Vanessa asked and Adam nodded, _"Yep, his name is Samuel." _Vanessa gave up, _"Go, this is your once in a lifetime chance to know who your father is, go!" _Vanessa stated as Adam got out of the car. _"Thanks, Vanessa." _Adam stated as he got out of the car and walked towards the house. Adam knocked on the door, but he still didn't get a reply.

"_May I help you?" _a man asked, he was holding groceries. _"Are you Samuel?" _Adam asked. The man nodded, _"Why, what's wrong?" _**Samuel** asked. _"Nothing, just…do you remember having a little girl named Gracie?" _Samuel nodded. Adam smiled, _"Hi, dad…it's me. But, can we just say it is Adam now." _Adam looked at the man and Samuel broke down as he pulled the boy into a hug.

Vanessa watched from the car and smiled. She then looked down and grabbed her phone, and called her parents. _"Hey, mom, yeah…where's dad? Nothing's wrong, I just wanted to say that I love you is all." _Vanessa smiled as she watched Adam and Samuel.

**DUSTIN GARRETT**

Dustin entered the house, his mother sitting down on the couch, drinking. _"Ashley," _Dustin started. **Ashley **looked up, she became furious as she stood up, and she had a bat in her hand. _"Where were you?" _she asked. Dustin shrugged, _"With a friend…she's helping me now, and I don't ever have to see you again!" _Dustin shouted. Ashley raised the bat high in the air. _"Really," _Ashley asked as she inched closer to him. _"Really, I hope you burn in Hell!" _Dustin shouted as he ducked, Ashley missing him.

Just then the police entered the home and restrained Ashley. Dustin walked out of the house and came face to face with Jacob and Hannah. He smiled at her and she pulled him into a kiss; then a kiss. Jacob smiled at the two of them.

"_Thank you," _Dustin whispered. Hannah smiled as she touched her necklace, _"You're welcome." _


	10. Fly (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TEN: **_"Fly (1)"_

**RACHEL LEE**

**Rachel **walked down the stairs, _"Hey, did someone get the mail?" _Rachel asked as she entered the kitchen. _"I did," _**Eric** stated as he held up a letter that was addressed to her. _"Thank you, I'm waiting this acceptance letter from Duke," _Rachel stated as she looked around for her mother, _"Where's mom?" _she asked her former teacher. Eric smiles, _"She's over at your grandmother's house." _Rachel sighed, _"Ah, I gotcha. Well, here goes," _Rachel whispers as she opens the envelope to find something that she wasn't expecting. It was an invitation to be in the Beta Pi's. _"What is it?" _Eric asked her. _"It's an invitation to a college sorority…Beta Pi's. They're at my dream school, Riverside University!" _Rachel shouted.Eric became confused, _"I thought you wanted to go to Duke?" _he asked. _"No, I'll settle for Duke…but, I want Riverside U!" _Rachel said. She was excited.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Brittany **is laughing, and holding hands with **Randy**. **Quinn **is behind them, she's starting to become fed up with her and Randy's secret still being a secret. _"Ugh, do you two ever shut up?" _Quinn asked as Brittany rolled her eyes. _"Oh, whatever Quinn, you're just jealous that you'll never know what it's like to be with a guy like Randy," _Brittany teases. Randy and Quinn look at one another, they know the truth. Quinn gestures for him to tell Brittany right then and there, Randy only sighs, _"I better get to calculus," _he stated as he kisses Brittany and walks down the hallway. Quinn hides her hurt.

"_Keith Owen." _Brittany states. _"Excuse me?" _Quinn asks. _"We'll set you up with Keith Owen, Randy and I can double date with you…it'll be fun!" _Brittany shouts. Quinn tries to disagree, but she can't. Quinn only walks away. Brittany's pencils falls out of her locker. _"Crap!" _she states as she notices someone picks up her Teen Idol bracelet. _"Teen Idol?" _he asks. _"Yeah, I'm a contestant this year; I'm leaving soon just to do it. You are?" _Brittany asks. _"Oh, sorry, I'm Josh." _**Josh** said as he handed her the bracelet back.

"_Well thanks, Josh." _Brittany stated as she smiled at him. Josh smiled back as he left, going around the girl.

**CEDRIC CARTER**

**Cedric **is dancing in his ballet class. He was excused from his other classes today, because of the major performance that's coming up. A girl bumps into him, _"Watch it, little girl!" _Cedric tells the girl. _"You watch it, big boy!" _she retorts. Cedric turns to look at the girl and then smiles, pulling her into a hug.

"_Alright, take five." _**Antonio **states.

Cedric releases the girl from his hug and she smiles. _"I'm so glad that you helped me get in the performance," _she said. _"Valerie, don't mention it, Randy's your brother and a close friend of mine's." _**Valerie Tamburrino **smiled at his comment. She was about to walk away when she realized that Cedric was checking out Antonio.

"_Oh, yes, he's gorgeous…right?" _she asked and Cedric nodded. _"Too bad he's got a strict no dating students' policy," _Valerie said. _"That plus he's not gay," _Cedric whispered. Valerie saw how bad Cedric was feeling and decided to say something to make him feel a t least a little bit better. _"Hey, you never know anymore, so don't sell yourself too short." _With that, Cedric smiled, he was starting to think that convincing Antonio to get Valerie in the performance wasn't a bad idea after all. He owed Randy big time for that one.

**RACHEL LEE**

Rachel placed the note on the table in front of **Vanessa **and **Alli**, _"Behold, I, Rachel Lee have been invited to try out for the Beta Pi's." _Rachel stated as Alli clapped for her. _"Wait, Rachel isn't that like a college sorority?" _Vanessa asked and Rachel nodded. Alli became confused, _"Wait, so you're going to apply for a college sorority, you haven't even graduated yet." _Rachel sighed at their statements. _"Guys, I know. But, I can graduate earlier. Everyone's doing something with their life. I'm the only one that's still stuck." _

Vanessa looked at the girl, _"You're stuck? How? I'm the one that's going to have to be alone on my senior year. I guess it just serves me right for making friends with people a grade higher than me," _Vanessa said as Alli snickered.

"_Hey, guys, this is serious. I have to do this. It's the only way I'll be able to prove myself to everyone," _Rachel stated. Vanessa still felt a little unsure about the invitation. _"I don't know, Rachel, what if this is just some prank?" _Alli asks. Vanessa looks at the girl; she wanted to ask the same exact question. _"Then I'll deal with it when and if it is," _Rachel said. Vanessa and Alli shrugged, giving up.

"_Fine, we support you," _Vanessa whispered as Rachel hugged the two of them. 

**BRITTANY MOSS**

Brittany walks into the place, with Randy holding her hand. Quinn walks in behind them, with **Keith **close behind. _"Wow, this place is rocking!" _Keith stated and Randy agreed. _"Alright, there's a table," _Brittany stated as she led them all to a table in the far right corner. _"Isn't this nice?" _Brittany asks. _"Terrific," _Quinn states, sarcastically. Brittany sees that Keith isn't having a good time and silently apologizes to him.

Just then Josh comes over. _"Josh?" _Brittany states. Quinn looks up to see the boy, and scoffs. Randy wants to know how Brittany knows him. _"Hey, it's Teen Idol girl," _Josh states. Randy is started to become a tad bit too jealous. Quinn is starting to become intrigued by this display now. _"Thanks for helping me pick up my stuff in the hallway; if it wasn't for you I would've been late to my class." _Josh sighed, _"Don't mention it," _he said as he held up his notepad. _"What can I get you?" _he asked.

Randy was about to speak, but Brittany did it for him, _"We'll have a four burgers, a plate of large fries, four cokes, and…" _Brittany was cut off by Randy, _"Make that three cokes and a sprite, Quinn doesn't drink coke," _Randy said as Quinn smiled at him. Brittany was confused as to how Randy knew something about her alleged "best friend" and she didn't. Josh smiled and nodded as he left the table.

"_Damn, Randy you'd think you were dating Quinn," _Keith stated. Quinn smiled, _"Yeah, he has a definite shot and you don't." _That statement caused Keith to throw his hands up in surrender and walk off. Brittany grabbed Quinn's hand and led her towards the side.

"_What the hell are you doing?" _Brittany asked, _"Do you want to be single for the rest of your life?" _she asked, finishing her rant. Quinn looked at her, _"Oh my God, if you're a real a friend you'd realize that I have nothing in common with Keith!" _Quinn shouted. Brittany quickly shushed her. _"Look, I don't know what's gotten inside of you these last few days, but you'd better start acting as if you want things to work. I can keep continuing to be your friend if you're going act this way. Who knows maybe you'll find someone like Randy." _There was that statement again. Quinn had gotten so fed up with Brittany thinking that she was good enough for Randy.

"_Yeah, well I don't need someone like Randy when I've already got Randy. That's right I've been screwing your boyfriend since the day I met him!" _Quinn shouted to the whole restaurant. Brittany paused, standing still. She turned to look at Randy. She knew it was true, she knew it. She looked back at Quinn and walked up to her. Brittany then punched the girl in the face; Quinn flew back holding her nose.

Randy started to run to help her, but Brittany slung her purse, knocking him in his nose as well. Brittany snickered. _"Aw, would you look at them, his and hers matching bleeding noses, how romantic." _Brittany walked over and retrieved her coat and walked out, she'd leave Quinn and Randy to pay for the bill.

**CEDRIC CARTER**

"_Alright, up down up down, stop!" _Antonio called out as Cedric stopped in mid-performance. _"Cedric, what was that?" _Antonio asked him. Cedric became shy, _"The routine from Swan Lake," _Cedric whispered as Antonio only laughed at him. _"What? Don't tell me someone as flamboyant as you is shy all of a sudden." _Cedric couldn't help but feel smitten towards Antonio. But, he was an instructor, he'd never approve of dating a student and Cedric was pretty sure that Antonio was a straight instructor.

"_Let me help you," _Antonio stated as went behind Cedric and showed him the correct steps. _"Now, you do it by yourself," _Antonio whispered as Cedric started to dance. Antonio smiled, _"That's all there is to it!" _he shouted as he clapped for the boy. Cedric was about to go grab his bag to go home, but Antonio grabbed his arm and pulled him back, into a kiss. _"Antonio?" _Cedric began, _"I'm sorry…" _he whispered, but Cedric kissed him back, before they knew it they were both making out.

**RACHEL LEE**

Rachel entered the room, the lights were off. _"Hello?" _she asked as the lights were turned on all of a sudden. _"You Rachel?" _a girl asked. Rachel nodded as she noticed someone come behind her and lock the door. _"What's going on?" _Rachel asked; she was starting to become scared.

Just then, **Connie **walked into the room, she cracked her knuckles. _"You know me?" _she asked. Rachel nodded; this was the girl that had raped Trevor. _"I need you to send Trevor a little message for me," _Connor whispered as she eased her way towards the girl. _"Hold that bitch!" _Connie shouted. Rachel tried to leave, but two of the girls grabbed her arms and restrained her. _"Don't, stop!" _Rachel shouted. Connie smiled as she began to punch the girl – and hard. One by one, the four girls took turns beating on Rachel, until all that was left was a battered and bruised crying girl.

Connie and the girls picks Rachel up and managed to get her to their car. Rachel starting to space out and before she knew everything went black.

The car came to a stop, it was dark. Connie looked in the back, _"Dump the bitch on the side of the road, now!" _she shouted. The girls did as they were told and through Rachel's body onto the side of the road, leaving her for dead. Connie wanted to show Trevor that nobody messes with her and this was the way to do just that.


	11. Fly (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: **_"Fly (2)"_

**RACHEL LEE**

**Trevor **is watching his cousin. _"Rachel, please talk," _he whispers. But, the girl is still silent; the bruises on her body have taken their form for the next few weeks. **Eric **and **Carmen **– **Rachel**'s mother walk into the room – they motion for Trevor to leave for a while. Trevor agrees and goes out and is pulled into a hug by **Lauren**.

"_How could this have happened to her?" _Trevor asks. Lauren sighs, _"You're father talked to Vanessa and Alli both, and they said that she'd gotten an invitation to a sorority orientation…" _Lauren stated. Trevor was intrigued, _"What sorority?" _Trevor asked. _"Beta Pi, I think," _Lauren said as Trevor had an epiphany. _"She wouldn't," _Trevor whispered as his mother looked at him confusingly, _"Mom, Connie's in that sorority…" _Trevor stated. Lauren gasped. _"She set her up," _Trevor stated as he hit the wall – furious.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST – **_**Brittany **walks into the school. She spots **Quinn **talking to **Randy **and she can't bear to see them communicating. Brittany walks towards her locker and realizes that Randy is jogging towards her.

"_Brittany, let me explain…please?" _Randy states. Brittany scoffs, _"No. You don't get to explain anything to me. You had sex with the biggest slut Lakehurst has ever seen. Congrats Randy! You're the one guy that ever made me feel special and you used that against me." _The statement was enough to make Randy feel stupid for the things he'd done.

"_Britt. Please, don't leave me…I need you." _With that, Brittany was going to kiss Randy – tell him that things were going to be okay, but she paused. _"Funny, you didn't need me the night she was under you…nor when she was on top of you?" _Brittany asks.

Brittany walks in the middle of the hallway and turns back around, _"Oh, Randy…you might want to stop by the clinic later on this afternoon. I heard that if you sleep with a dog, you'll wake up with fleas." _That caused Quinn to become furious as she was about to hit Brittany, but Randy stood in front of the girl. Both of them watching Brittany walk off.

**CEDRIC CARTER**

**Cedric **walks back into the ballet studio. He notices that a few of the students are looking at something in awe. Cedric walks over to the bundled group to discover **Antonio **holding a baby. **Valerie **looks up and smiles at Cedric, _"Isn't he cute?" _Valerie asks. Cedric nods, _'Whose is he?" _Cedric asks as Valerie looks at him shockingly. _"Antonios'," _the statement caused Cedric to walk towards the exit. Valerie followed him.

"_Cedric," _Valerie starts as she goes outside to join him. Cedric is looking out into the day as he silently curses at himself. _"He has a son." _Valerie was confused at first, but then she realized that he was talking about Antonio. _"Yeah, and he has a wife. So, I guess he isn't gay?" _Valerie said as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"_He played me for a fool, we had sex." _The statement caused Valerie to go into a state of shock. _"What? You didn't, Cedric." _Valerie whispered as Cedric started crying. _"If this gets out, I've destroyed a family…I'm a home wrecker!" _Cedric shouts out as he pulls out his phone to call his mother to come and pick him up.

Antonio walks out of the studio, _"What's going on here?" _he asks. Cedric looks at him and Valerie shoots him a glance. _"Why didn't you tell me about your son, or your wife?" _Cedric asks him. Antonio laughs, _"What, and miss out on such a nice…dancer like you?" _he asks, disgustingly. _"You're sick!" _Valerie shouts.

"_Tell anyone Cedric and you're both off of the production of the play that's coming up!" _Antonio shouts as he walks away from the scene.

**RACHEL LEE**

Trevor continues to watch the mute Rachel from outside of her hospital room. He hears the tapping of heels belonging to the only two people he knew that wore heels even to a hospital. **Vanessa **and **Alli**, _"What happened?" _Vanessa asked. _"Connie set her up to get jumped!" _Trevor told them. _"How is she?" _Alli asked. _"Stable," _Trevor answered her. Vanessa and Alli both let out a sigh of relief.

"_But," _Trevor began as he looked at both of the girls. _"Vanessa, I need you to do something for me." _Vanessa looked at him, the statement sounded all too familiar to her. _"I can't hit girls…no matter how many of them there are...I'm a guy and I can't hurt a girl in that type of way…even if it is Connie, but you," _he whispered. _"Hey, I got you, don't worry." _With that, Vanessa was off down the hall.

Alli looked at Trevor, _"Alli, I need your help with something too!" _he stated Alli nodded, _"Anything," _she whispered as Trevor leads her towards Rachel's room.

Moments later, Vanessa pulls up to the sorority house in her car. She gets out of the car and has a bat in her hands. She notices a jeep parked in the driveway of the sorority house and snickers. _"Bitch!" _she shouts as she slams the bat through the window of the jeep. The sorority girls immediately come outside. _"What the hell?" _one of them shouts. _"What're your names?" _Vanessa asks.

"_I'm Talia…she's Bridget and that's Minnie, why?" _Talia asks. Vanessa shrugs, _"So, you're the bitches that jumped Rachel?" _Vanessa asks them. They start laughing, _"Damn that bitch squealed already?" _Talia asks, the others still laughing. Vanessa sighs, _"What's so funny?" _she asks. _"Oh, the fact that you think you can take all three of us on, you're so freaking delusional." _Vanessa scoffed at the statement. _"I'm alone…what makes you think that?" _Vanessa asks.

Just then two of the car doors from Vanessa's car slam and there's **Sarah** and **Monique** who've just made their way over to the group. The three girls stop laughing and are starting to get serious. _"What's wrong?" _Vanessa asked. The girls were silent.

"_Okay, when it comes to fighting I have one rule. If it's one on one let it stay that way, jump in it…you get your ass kicked later on. Jumping isn't cool." _Sarah states. Talia scoffs. Sarah smiles deviously, _"The fight has to be fair, if it's one on one, like for example…" _Sarah states as she turns around and knees Talia in the stomach and Talia goes down in pain. _"Don't jump in," _Sarah whispers.

"_You can, but there's a guarantee that you'll get your college boney asses whooped as well!" _Monique stated as the three girls walked back towards Vanessa's car.

**BRITTANY MOSS**

Brittany knocks on the door, she has to apologize to Quinn, and she doesn't want any bad blood with the girl. _"Brittany?" _Brittany hears her name and she looks to see **Josh **at the door. _"What the hell, you're doing her too?" _Brittany asks. Josh becomes confused. _"What?" _he asks. Brittany only becomes silent and Josh decides that it would be best for him to explain what's going on. _"Just, come in… please?" _he whispers. Brittany gives in and decides to walk inside of the house.

When she enters the house, Brittany is confused. _"Wait, you're here because?" _she asks. _"I live here," _Josh tells her. Brittany puts two and two together, _"Quinn's your sister." _Josh nods. _"Yep, been that way ever since 1996," _Josh states as Brittany laughs.

Brittany's laughter dies down as she hears footsteps hitting the steps. Both her and Josh look up to find Quinn nearing the bottom of the steps. Quinn looks at the couch and spots Brittany. _"What the hell are you doing here?" _she asks and Brittany stands up; Josh following suit, standing in between both of the girls.

"_I came here to apologize." _The statement caused Quinn to scoff, _"I ought to kick your ass where you stand!" _Quinn shouted. Brittany laughed slightly, _"Really? How's your nose Quinn?" _the question was enough to set off fireworks inside of Quinn as she eased closer to the girl. _"I'll kill you, bitch!" _Quinn shouts and Brittany closes the space in between them, Josh being in between them.

"_Look, normally this'd be sexier, but there's one problem. Quinn's my sister," _Josh whispered as Quinn looked at him and turned away from the fight. Brittany looked at the boy and slightly smiled, she knew that she and Quinn would never be friends again. She knew that she was done with Randy Tamburrino for the rest of her life.

"_I hate to say this. But, you should go." _With that, Brittany nodded in agreement as she walked towards the door; Josh close behind her. Brittany looked back at him as he opened the door for her; she looked at him once more before he gently closed the door behind her.

**CEDRIC CARTER**

**Randy **bursts through the doors of the ballet room. _"Where is he?" _he asks Valerie. Valerie motions towards the boys' locker room. Randy smiles at her and nods as he walks in.

Cedric is sitting on a bench, crying. _"Ced, this better not be your sick twisted way of getting me to see you in your tights!" _Randy states, as he has his eyes covered; jokingly. This makes Cedric laugh a little, but it quickly dies. Randy smiles as he removes his hand and sighs. Randy then goes over and sits next to his friend.

"_Val filled me in on Antonio. She wanted to know if you wanted her to go pull a Nut Cracker." _Randy asks and Cedric smiles. _"Why do guys always do this to me? Why is it that I can't find someone who just appreciates me for me?" _Cedric asks Randy. Randy sighs again. _"Look, I know this is hard to believe, but, I appreciate you. I do, look I know it took some time for me get use to this gay thing, but I did. Besides, wasn't I good enough for you to crush on or what?" _Randy asks, smiling. Cedric smiles back and laughs, _"You were okay, but you're no longer my type." _The statement confused Randy. _"You have a type?" _he asks. _"Yep," _Cedric begins, _"Smart guys." _He finishes as he gets and walks off, Randy starting to laugh.

**RACHEL LEE**

Rachel wakes up; she's still a little sore from her attack. She looks up and notices that someone is sitting down. When her vision makes everything clear she realizes that it's **Connie**.

"_God, help!" _Rachel shouts as she tries to push a button; however, Connie retrieves the remote from her and pushes her back onto the bed, Rachel hides the pain. Connie only laughs as she circles around the bed, _"I cannot believe you squealed you little pig," _she began as she looked at Rachel. _"Was that black eye not enough?" _Connie asked the girl as Rachel focused on her.

"_You should put some ice on that," _Connie whispered and Rachel laughed. _"What's so funny?" _Rachel looked at the girl, still smiling. _"You should put some ice on that!" _Rachel stated as Connie looked at her confusingly; when she turned around she met an elbow to the face, by Alli. Connie went down as security rushed into the room. Trevor entered the room and winked at Alli as if thanking her.

Trevor then made his way over to Rachel and she smiled at him. _"I'm sorry," _she whispered. _"Don't be, you're always there for us…now we're going to be here for you." _With that Rachel knew that she was loved. Trevor pulled her into a hug, one that neither of them would forget about.


	12. All These Lives (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TWELVE: **_"All These Lives (1)"_

**TREVOR LEE**

**Rachel **is smiling; today is the day that she's finally released from the hospital. She couldn't think of anything that'll make her anymore excited. **Trevor **entered the room, _"Hey, you okay?" _he asked the girl. Rachel flashed her smile towards her older cousin, _"Yeah. I'm just ready to go…to go home." _With that, Trevor flashed a smile at her and walked towards her bed.

"_Look," _Trevor started, catching Rachel's attention as she watched him carefully. _"I know we haven't really been that close in the past, but…" _Trevor paused; searching for the right words. Rachel decided to help him out. _"But, none of that matters now. We're here for each other right here, always." _Trevor looked up and smiled as he pulled the girl into a gentle hug.

When they pulled away, Trevor helped Rachel ease her way off of the hospital bed and they were out of the door. Rachel stopped when she heard Trevor clear his throat. _"Trevor, what is it?" _she asked him. Trevor looked down at the floor, then back up at her. Rachel looked at Trevor; she realized that he'd caught a glimpse of **Connie** who was now walking towards them; however, Connie only rolled her eyes and walked around them.

Rachel became confused. **Carmen **walked over towards the two teenagers and sighed. _"Mom, what's going on?" _Rachel asked her mother. Carmen looked at the both of them, _"Well, seeing as how Alli attacked her, they've decided to release Connie from police custody until the trial hearing." _Carmen couldn't believe that her family had been dragged into something so…unbearable. Rachel knew how bad her mother was hurting from seeing her only child in so much pain. Trevor saw this as well.

Trevor knew that he had to do something about it – something, anything.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ **Melanie **opens her locker, _"Oh, how sweet!" _**Camielle **states as she comes around the corner and spots the bouquet that someone's left in Melanie's locker. _"Is this a joke?" _Melanie asks; she's never received flowers before. Camielle shrugged, she knew that Melanie was thinking that this had something to do with **Lydia**.

"_I don't think so, who're they from?" _Camielle asked the girl. Melanie only shrugs as she looks around. She spots **Nick **talking to a couple of friends; he looks up and smiles at her. Melanie then assumes that they're from him. Camielle follows Melanie's gaze and realizes that she's looking at Nick. _"What? No way," _Camielle stated. Melanie looked at the girl and closed her locker and started to walk away.

"_It can't be. Not Lydia's Nick." _This caused Melanie to turn around slightly, _"You said it yourself, maybe Nick's finally starting to see me that way," _she said. Camielle smiled at the girl. _"Wait, let me get this straight." _Camielle stated this as she quickly sped around Melanie and stood in front of the girl. _"Because a guy leaves you flowers in your locker, you're going to pursue that guy…even if he has a girlfriend?" _Camielle asks. Melanie looks uneasy and then shrugs, _"Why not?" _Melanie asks. Camielle looks at her friend; she's shocked. Camielle's facial expression then turns into one of triumph. _"Damn, you're bad," _Camielle stated and Melanie sighed, _"I learned from the best," _she whispered. Camielle started to walk beside Melanie.

Melanie's phone vibrated and she looked at her caller id, it was private. _"Hold on, Camielle," _Melanie told the girl as Camielle stopped dead in her tracks. _"Hello?" _Melanie asked as she answered her phone. _"Did you like the flowers?" _a masked voice stated. _"What? Who's this?" _Melanie asked, starting to become frightened. _"It's me. TristinXYoung, or have you moved on?" _the man asked. Melanie quickly hung up the phone. Camielle looked at her friend worriedly.

**BIANCA DESOUSA**

**Etienne **_and _**Bianca **are standing by Bianca's locker. _"Are you sure you're okay?" _Etienne asks his sister. Bianca smiles at him, _"Yeah, I'm fine." _Etienne hadn't noticed that **Drew **was walking over. _"Why wouldn't she be?" _Drew asked. Etienne looked at them both, _"You're kidding. She was puking her brains out this morning!" _Etienne exclaimed as he walked around Drew and headed towards his class.

Bianca glared at the back of her brother's head. She wanted to go hit him right then and there. Drew looked at her, wondering why she'd be throwing up. _"You think," _Drew started, _"No, I'm not pregnant!" _Bianca shouted; however, she basically whispered the 'pregnant' part. Drew looked at her.

"_I was going to say maybe you got food poisoning. We did go to that seafood restaurant last night." _That was it, food poisoning, Bianca thought to herself. There's no way she could be pregnant – no way. _"You're right, that's all it is…I hope," _Bianca whispered as she looked down at her hands. Drew knew that the girl would like to be sure about the claim. Drew placed a hand on her shoulder and gently kissed her, _"However, it is always better to be safe than sorry," _Drew whispered as Bianca looked at him, smiling.

"_I'll go with you to buy a test this afternoon," _Drew told his girlfriend and Bianca nodded as she opened her locker to retrieve her books for her first class.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor is sitting in a car, **Miles **is beside him. _"Trevor, I don't think we should be doing this," _Miles said as he looked at the sorority house. Trevor cleared his throat, _"I mean, the girls already took care of one of the cars," _Miles informed him. _"I know; I'm the one that asked them to. Miles, I have to do this. It's the only way I can apologize for bringing Rachel, Carmen, and Eric into my fight." _Miles looked at his friend, he couldn't just let this happen – it didn't set right with him.

"_Look, you don't have to do anything. Just keep the car running, clear?" _Trevor asked in one breath. Miles nodded; he'd do anything for his best friend. _"I got you, go!" _Miles exclaimed as Trevor nodded and exited the car.

Trevor ran down the street, with a can of spray paint and a bat; he had his mind set on doing this. No matter what happened, he'd get revenge on Connie for ruining his family.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Melanie is walking home; Etienne and Camielle are walking with her for security purposes. _"You sure you don't want to call the police?" _Etienne asked the girl. _"Yeah, I texted the number and told that perv that I've already informed my parents who will shoot first and ask questions later," _Melanie replied to Etienne. Melanie realized that Camielle was awfully quiet for – Camielle.

"_Cam, you okay?" _Melanie asked the girl; Camielle shrugged, _"Yeah, I just…can't believe you started talking to this guy because of me and those girls." _Etienne looked at the both of them and decided to stop walking and let them talk.

Melanie gave Camielle a faint smile, _"Hey, you're my friend now aren't you?" _Melanie asks and Camielle nods. _"Okay, then forget that we ever had a problem with one another, I know I have," _Melanie assured the girl as she looked at her house. _"This is it. I have a lot of explaining to do." _With that, Etienne nodded towards Melanie, who returned a smile. Camielle pulled Melanie into a hug, _"I hate you," _Camielle whispered, Melanie smiled, _"I hate you too," _the girls pulled away from one another. That was their thing, when they'd say _'I hate you' _it always meant that they'd always be friends. It was something they'd always say before they parted ways.

Melanie walks into her house and closes the door behind her. _"Mom, Dad, we need to talk!" _Melanie called out as she stopped at the steps, wondering if they were in their room. Melanie heard something knock over in the living room and she smiled, _"Dad, are you still trying to fix that old bookshelf?" _Melanie asked as she walked into the living room; she immediately spotted her tied up and gagged parents, both warning Melanie.

Melanie was in a state of shock, she turned and ran straight for the door; however, someone came up from behind and slammed it shut. Melanie let out a scream as she came face to face with a familiar face that automatically threw her into a flashback.

_Melanie makes her way out of the school and starts to walk down the sidewalk as a car is following behind, Melanie turns around as the window rolls down to reveal a man, "Hi, um do you know where I can find a Melanie Strauss?" the guy asks as Melanie looks at the guy she can tell he is Tristin and that he is in his 30s, Melanie starts to panic, "Um actually I have no idea who a Melanie Strauss is...sorry" Melanie lies as the car drives away and she starts to speed walk towards her house._

Melanie is then brought back to reality; the man staring at her angrily. _"Hello, Melanie. How've you been?" _**Tristin **asks as he looks at the girl. Melanie screams as loud as she can.

**BIANCA DESOUSA**

Drew _is _sitting down on Bianca's bed. Bianca; however, _is _pacing back _and _forth – she still can't believe that she got herself in this situation. _"Ugh, this is intoxicating!" _Bianca exclaimed; finally breaking the silence.

Drew sighed; he couldn't stand to see her like this. _"Look, Bee, I'm sorry." _That caused Bianca to look at her boyfriend confusingly. _"You're sorry? For," _Bianca asked as she looked at him. Drew looked down at the floor, _"I did this to you. You didn't want to at first, but I made you," _Drew whispered. Bianca looked at him, a faint smile playing at the corner of her lips. Bianca went to sit down beside Drew on the bed. _"Hey, you didn't force me to do anything. I wanted to have sex as much as you did, you know that." _Bianca looked at Drew and kissed him; he kissed back.

Bianca pulled back gently; it was time for them both to be informed of what the future had in store for them. Bianca didn't want to be pregnant, she didn't want to jeopardize her nor Drew's chances of being successful after high school. Bianca stood up and walked into the bathroom, Drew watching her every move.

Bianca came back, a smile on her face. _"You're right, it was food poisoning." _With that Drew knew that they were in the clear. Bianca smiled as Drew let out a breath, she was happy as well. But, she still looked uneasy about something. Drew stood up, _"God that was too close. Wanna go finish up the homework at my place?" _Drew asked and Bianca nodded in agreement; she didn't want to be there when Juliana came back. Drew smiled as he raced out of Bianca's room.

Bianca only sighed as she looked at the test again. She couldn't believe it – she'd lied to Drew just to spare him of the fact that their lives were basically over. She _is _pregnant. She'd told her boyfriend a lie. Well, not exactly, because she'd plan on making that _"is," a "was." _She'd have to get an abortion.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor knocks on **Alli**'s apartment door. He needs to talk to **Vanessa **fast. _"Trevor?" _Alli asks as she opens the door wide enough for him to come in. _"What's going on?" _Alli asks as Trevor walks inside. _"Where's Vanessa?" _Trevor asks her. _"She went to go visit her parents, why?" _Alli says in one breath. Trevor sighs as Alli motions for him to take a seat on the couch. Trevor does and is starting to panic. _"I did something, something bad. I…" _Trevor couldn't talk; he was too scared that what he'd done would change everything.

Alli looked at him, _"Hey, you can talk to me. Tell me what's going on," _Alli whispered as she placed her hand gently on his knee, she'd do anything for the guy that helped her pick herself back up. Trevor faintly smiled at her. _"I vandalized Connie's car. It felt…good," _Trevor said, laughing. Alli started laughing with him. _"Well, if it made you feel better than why are you worried?" _Alli asked him. Trevor shrugged, _"I don't know, can't she use that in court?" _Trevor asked Alli.

"_Well, yeah, but we can say that it happened after you found out Rachel was attacked." _Trevor looked at Alli; he couldn't believe that he and his cousin had been attacked. Surprisingly, he felt like Rachel had it easy. She'd been beaten up and her scars would always go away; however, his scars were permanent. Trevor smiled at Alli and leaned towards her, _"You're something, Bhandari." _This caused Alli to smile as she leaned forward and kissed Trevor's cheek, _"Don't you forget it," _she whispered. Trevor looked at Alli and kissed her lips gently, Alli repeated the gesture.

Before they knew it they were having a heated making out session; however, it was ruined when Trevor jerked away. Alli looked up at him as he was making his way for the door. _"Trevor?" _Alli began. Trevor couldn't finish it, because at that exact moment he'd had flashbacks of Connie raping him.


	13. All These Lives (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: **_"All These Lives (2)"_

**TREVOR LEE**

**Vanessa **_walks _towards her apartment and notices **Trevor **sitting outside, he's been crying. _"Trevor," _Vanessa begins as she gets his attention. _"Oh, Vanessa, I thought you were someone else," _Trevor lied. Vanessa smiled faintly, _"You thought I was someone else who has keys to my apartment? Oh, Alli," _Vanessa said, how could she forget that she had a roommate. Trevor looked at the girl. _"No I already spoke to Alli," _he whispered as he wiped his eyes. _"Hey, what's wrong?" _Vanessa asked as she eased her way towards the boy.

"_I can't do it," _Trevor simply whispered. _"You can't do what?" _Vanessa asked back. Trevor turned to look at her, _"I can't even kiss a girl without being thrown back into what Connie did to me," _Trevor whispered. Vanessa placed a hand on his shoulder. _"I mean, all my life I thought the only thing that I had to worry about was my abusive father and then when I went to live with my mother and uncle things had started looking great for me," _Trevor whispered.

"_The plan was to go to the party and have fun, being raped was nowhere in that!" _Trevor shouted. _"I know that I've made some pretty bad decisions when it comes to girls. Sarah, Madeline, you, I've screwed up with all of you. It was stupid for me to think it'd be any different with Alli. I'm a screw up! I deserved it, didn't I? For how I treated you, all of you, right?" _Trevor said all of this in one breath. Vanessa looked at him and started shaking her head.

"_Trevor Lee, you are and will always be my first love. Trevor, you were the greatest guy I've ever met. Sure, Drew had you beat because he saved my life. But, you, you are something so special to me. You made me believe that guys like you can go for girls like me. What happened to you, nobody deserves that and I mean nobody. I think everybody's so wrapped up in finding out exactly who they are. That they sometimes lose exactly who they are in the process of finding it," _Vanessa whispered. Trevor smiles at her.

"_What now?" _he asked. _"You're going to get your ass back in there and tell Alli how you feel," _Vanessa said as Trevor pulled her into a hug.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ **Nick **looks at **Camielle**; she's pacing back and forth. _"Hey, Camielle, calm down," _Nick whispers as he pulls Camielle into a hug. _"Calm down, how?" _she asks. _"Melanie didn't come to school today!" _Camielle exclaims as Nick sighs. _"Look, maybe she's sick." _Camielle started thinking. _"Or maybe her parents sent her to boot camp," _Nick joked; Camielle hit his arm. _"This isn't a joking matter, Melanie always texts me if she's not coming to school!" _Camielle states as she starts looking around the school. Camielle's eyes fall on **Lydia**.

"_Bitch," _Camielle whispers as she walks over to Lydia. _"Where's she?" _Camielle asks as she is now standing in front of Lydia. _"Where's who?" _Lydia asks. Camielle rolls her eyes, _"Don't play dumb with me, what you lock her in a janitor's closet?" _Camielle asks as Lydia steps closer to her. _"I don't know who or what you're talking about!" _Lydia states as she starts to walk away. **Nick **makes his way over to the group. _"Like hell you don't!" _Camielle shouts as she pushes Lydia to the floor. Lydia is about to fight back until her friends grab her, _"Hey, Lydia cut it out!" _Nick shouts as he pulls Camielle away.

"_Camielle, what the hell was that?" _Nick asks the girl. _"Look, Melanie's MIA and I have no clue on where to start when it comes to finding her." _Nick knew how much Camielle had started to care about Melanie, especially after finding out that she was part of the reason **Tristin **was even in **Melanie**'s life to begin with.

"_Wait her house!" _Camielle shouted as she looked at Nick, _"I'll skip lunch and go there to see if she's sick," _Camielle whispers as Nick nods, _"I'll go with you." _With that, Camielle smiled; her heart was at ease, a little. She had to know if Melanie was okay or not. Lydia watched Nick and Camielle both, she was shocked that Nick was even conversing with the girl; Lydia decided to let it go as she walked away.

**BIANCA DESOUSA**

**Bianca **stared at the acceptance letter. She was going to Duke and now she definitely had a good reason to get an abortion – her future was at stake.

**Etienne **entered the kitchen, _"Morning," _he said; greeting his and Bianca's aunt – **Juliana Santoro**. _"Morning," _Juliana returned as she searched for Bianca. _"Where's your sister?" _she asked her nephew. _"Um, I have no idea." _That caused Juliana to sigh in defeat. She'd grown tired of Bianca's promiscuous behavior.

"_I cannot believe I'm still putting up with…her." _The statement was enough to set Etienne off. _"Juliana, I know how horrible you think Bianca is, but she's not. She's so much more than what you or everyone makes of her. She's all I've got left," _Etienne said. He then realized that Juliana was also taking care of him. _"No offense," _he quickly whispered.

"_Sorry, I was up late last night!" _Bianca called out as she entered the kitchen and raided the fridge for breakfast. _"Well, would you look at that; she's here at a reasonable time, did the rave cancel?" _Juliana asked; the sarcasm evident in her voice. Bianca only rolled her eyes at the woman's comment.

"_Actually, yeah, it did." _Bianca looked at Juliana. Bianca was determined to show Juliana that sarcasm was a game she played all too well. _"Sit your smart ass down and eat!" _Juliana stated. Bianca sighed, _"No time, I've got to meet Drew before school and Etienne promised that he'd come with me," _Bianca stated as she looked at her brother and winked; as if telling him to play along.

Etienne sighed, _"Crap, I forgot all about that. When do you want to leave?" _Etienne asked as he stood up, bag in hand. Bianca smiled at him, _"Now," _she whispered as she exited the house; Etienne seconds after. Juliana only shook her head and sighed – she loves those damn kids.

"_You know for someone who doesn't need anybody, you sure as hell need me!" _Etienne called out to his sister. _"Whatever," _Bianca began; she was contemplating on whether or not she should tell her brother about the pregnancy. _"Etienne, I…I need to tell you something," _Bianca whispered as she paused and took a seat on a bench. Etienne knew this was serious, _"Hey, what's up?" _he asked as he sat down beside her. Bianca couldn't believe that she was actually going to do this. _"I'm pregnant," _she whispered. Etienne's eyes widened. _"What?" _Etienne asked; he had no clue that she and Drew were even sexually active.

"_What? Does Drew know?" _Etienne asked, he wanted to keep repeating the question, but Bianca shushed him. _"No, he doesn't. Neither Juliana and I want it to stay that way!" _Bianca exclaimed. Etienne looked at her confusingly. _"Sis, how are you going to hide a pregnancy?" _he asked her. Bianca sighed, _"I'm not, and I'm going to get rid of it." _Etienne's eyes widened, _"You're going to get a…abortion?" _Etienne whispered and Bianca nodded.

"_Don't judge me, please?" _Bianca whispered. Etienne faintly smiled at the girl as he pulled her into a hug. _"No matter what, I'm with you, one hundred percent," _Etienne told the girl. Bianca smiled, _"Since when did you start taking care of me?" _she asked; both of them laughing shortly after.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_I got scared, Alli, I'm sorry." _**Alli **stared at Trevor, his words playing over and over in her head. She hadn't realized the scars that still plagued Trevor day in and day out. She smiled at him and quickly kissed him on the cheek as Vanessa smiled.

"_All is forgiven, I thought maybe you didn't want to date me because of Vanessa," _Alli said as she looked at the girl. Vanessa scoffed, _"Please, I dated Drew, remember?" _Vanessa asked and Alli only nodded. She and Vanessa would be friends no matter what and no matter whom they dated. _"I'm going to go call Rachel," _Vanessa said as she walked out of the living room and into her bedroom.

"_Now, everything's perfect," _Trevor whispered as he leaned in to kiss Alli, but there was a knock at the door. _"What now?" _Alli asked as Trevor asked who it was. When he heard that it was the police, he quickly opened the door. _"Yes, how may I help you officer?" _Trevor asked, by this time Vanessa was walking back into the room.

"_Are you Trevor Lee?" _he asked. Trevor nodded, _"Sir, I'm going to have to place you under arrest," _the officer said. Trevor was shocked, _"What for," _he began. The officer didn't say anything; he even started to take Trevor away, Alli grabbed the officer's hand. _"What for?" _she repeated Trevor's question. _"He's been charged with murder, Connie Reagan is missing and witnesses say you were the last that saw her alive," _the officer stated. Rachel and Vanessa watched as Trevor left with the officer.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Melanie looks at Tristin; she then looks towards her parents – **David **_and _**Marcie**. _"Guys, I'm so sorry." _Tristin realized that Melanie was talking, _"Shut up!" _he shouted as Marcie jumped at the sound of his voice. Melanie; however, wasn't afraid of him. _"Okay, as soon as you leave!" _Melanie shouted at him. Tristin stood up and got in her face. _"If you don't close that mouth, I'll do it for you," _Tristin whispered as he caressed her cheek. Melanie quickly jerked her face away from his fingers.

David was trying to break free, he wanted to kill Tristin. Tristin turned around and pulled out his gun and made his way over to the man. _"Don't hurt him!" _Melanie shouted.Tristin started laughing; he was going to enjoy this. Tristin quickly stabbed David in the arm. Marcie screamed through her gag. Melanie was silent. _"If he dies, I promise you will too." _With that Tristin slapped Melanie across the face. Tristin then walked out of the room; Melanie looked at her mother and father and sighed as she started to struggle with the rope. Melanie's concentration was broken when she heard a knock at the door. _"What the hell was that?" _Tristin asked reentering the room.

"_Melanie, are you home?" _Camielle asked through the door. Nick watched as the girl continued to knock. Tristin smiled deviously as he watched Camielle and Nick through the nearby window. _"Well, this day just keeps getting better and better." _Melanie watched as Tristin headed towards the door. There was nothing she could do about it now. Melanie noticed that Tristin was out of sight and decided to struggle with her ropes again.

Tristin opened the door to a worried Camielle and an anxious Nick. _"Melanie? Wait, who are you?" _Camielle asked as she looked at the man in a suspicious way. She'd never seen the man before and for him to just show up out of nowhere was pretty mysterious.

"_I'm a friend of the family," _at that exact moment Tristin's facial expression turned into one full of pain as he looked down to a knife sticking out of his shoulder. Camielle and Nick watched this attack in horror. As Tristin's body fell towards them and landed on the concrete steps. Camielle looked at his attacker, Melanie, and immediately pulled her into a hug. Nick raced into the house to untie David and Marcie. Melanie watched the man; she couldn't believe that this had happened. She knew the dangers of online relationships, but she didn't know that they could get that messy.

**BIANCA DESOUSA**

Bianca walked out of the clinic, _"How'd it go?" _Etienne asked her. Bianca shrugged, _"As planned, I guess," _she whispered. Etienne started to walk beside her, _"So, how long before everyone finds out?" _he asked. Bianca scoffed, _"Drew will never find out. Juliana, yes, it's just about a matter of time before that happens," _Bianca told her brother. _"What do you think she's going to do when she finds out?" _Etienne asked. _"I don't know, probably kick me out of the house," _Bianca stated. _"Yeah, that sounds fair, kick you out when you obviously have been accepted into Duke," _Etienne whispered.

Bianca smiled, _"That's kind of the reason why I got the abortion. Does that make me a bad person?" _Bianca asked as she looked at the younger boy. Etienne shrugged, _"You did what you thought was right, but…when the truth comes out, will Drew?" _Etienne said as he walked forward, Bianca knew he was right. She couldn't tell Drew no matter what.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_Mom, she keeps ruining my life," _Trevor told **Lauren**. Lauren looked at her son and walked out of the police station with him. Trevor stopped dead in his tracks and watched as Vanessa, Alli, **Miles**, and **Rachel** walked towards him. Trevor smiled at all of them. _"Tell me, Trevor, is your life ruined?" _Lauren asked him. Trevor smiled as Alli walked out of the group and pulled him into a passionate kiss. Trevor's concentration was broken when the officer who arrested Trevor from earlier walked out.

"_Mr. Lee!" _he called out. Trevor and everyone else were getting worried. _"Connie Reagan was found at a college rave, she was trying to have sex with a teenager, he'd been drugged," _the officer stated as he walked out away, reassuring everyone that Connie was now guilty of all of the acts she'd done. Rachel walked over and hugged Lauren. She then looked at Trevor, _"Hey, you never answered the question. How is your life ruined?" _Rachel asked. Trevor smiled as he put his arms around both Rachel and Alli, _"You guys are incredible," _Trevor said as everyone started walking away from the police station.


	14. I Write Sins Not Tragedies (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: **_"I Write Sins Not Tragedies (1)"_

**DREW TORRES**

"_Ugh," _**Drew **sighs as he nears his locker; apparently something has been bothering him. _"Happy Birthday Drew," _he whispers to himself. Just as he opens his locker confetti bursts out and he hears the claps and laughter of his girlfriend – **Bianca**.

Drew turns around and places a passionate kiss on Bianca's lips. _"Hey, Bianca," _Drew whispered, smiling at her. Bianca's smiled dropped, _"You thought I forgot?" _Bianca asked. Drew nodded, he wouldn't blame her, and he wasn't the best guy in the world at the moment. _"Adam didn't even tell me Happy Birthday," _Drew admitted. Bianca couldn't believe that Adam was giving the both of them the silent treatment. _"Ouch," _Bianca whispered as Drew closed his locker and turned around and placed his arm around her shoulders. Bianca knew this gesture all too well as she started walking down the hall beside him.

"_Look, Adam just needs some time to adjust to…us," _Bianca said. Drew nodded, figuring that she must be right. _"You're right; I'll just give him some time." _Drew continued to walk and with that, so did Bianca; however, both of them were stopped when they came face to face with **Vanessa** and **Adam**.

"_V," "Adam," _Drew and Bianca whispered in unison. Vanessa looked at the pair and huffed. _"Awkward," _Adam whispered as he started to walk around Bianca and Drew; Vanessa following suit. _"Well, you two sure have been hanging out a lot lately." _Vanessa heard Bianca's voice and immediately spun around. _"Excuse me, slut?" _Vanessa said as Bianca eased up to her.

Drew and Adam looked at one another. _"You've been awfully close with Adam lately, anything you want to tell us?" _Bianca asks. Vanessa scoffs, _"Yeah, what I do with Adam is none of your damn business," _she tells her. Adam nods his head in agreement, even though he and Vanessa were just friends. Bianca rolls her eyes and walks off. Drew looks at Vanessa and Adam, _"I'm throwing a birthday party and I'm hoping that the both of you will be there." _Adam shakes his head, _"Whatever, I'm only going because you're my brother," _Adam said as he turned around and started walking away. Drew looked at Vanessa; she rolled her eyes and followed behind Adam.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ **Hannah **smiles as she enters Lakehurst, _"Okay, Dustin, I'll talk to you later," _Hannah whispered as she hung up her phone. Hannah sighed as she placed her back against the lockers beside **Jacob**s'.

"_Something wrong," _Jacob asked her. Hannah nodded, _"Most definitely," _Hannah whispered as Jacob gestured for her to tell him. Hannah smiled. _"Well, it's Dustin. He's sleeping in…again." _Jacob knew what was going on already. Dustin had gotten a job to try and stay out of the foster care system; however, it caused him to miss a week of school already and Hannah wasn't a fan of it. Jacob looked at her, giving her an apologetic look.

"_I just wish there was something I could do, you know?" _Hannah said in one breath. _"Maybe there is," _Jacob suggested. Hannah looked at Jacob and started to become a little excited, _"Roommates?" _Jacob asked. Hannah's happiness died down, _"You'd be willing to let him move in with you?" _Hannah asked. Jacob shook his head, _"Me? He can't…my uncle's planning a cruise as soon as I graduate and that's not for another year, you think he wants to take care of a freshman?" _Hannah shrugged, he was right.

"_I meant he could move in with you," _Jacob said. Hannah smiled, _"That's a great idea, I just hope my mom and dad will go for it," _Hannah said as she and Jacob walked into their first class of the day.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

**Melanie **_sighs _as she is on the phone with **Camielle**. _"You sound bored," _Camielle tells her friend. _"Sound, try am. I cannot believe my parents actually agreed to this temporary witness protection program. I mean who in their right minds would bail out a delusional psychopath?" _Melanie tells Camielle. Camielle sighs on the other end.

"_I wish we could meet up somewhere, there's a lot that you need to know about Nick and Lydia." _Camielle said. Melanie smiled, _"Ah, Nick…I never thanked him properly for saving my life." _Camielle huffed, _"Nick only untied your parents. I'm the one that orchestrated the trip to your house!" _Camielle stated jokingly.

Melanie smiled, _"Hey, I haven't forgotten. You sound rather happy for…Camielle," _Melanie said. _"Well, there's a party tonight. Drew Torres's 18__th__ birthday party, I think? Etienne's sister Bianca's dating him." _Melanie smiles again, _"Yeah I know of Drew, but he doesn't seem like the committed type." _Camielle sighed, _"You're right, he cheated on some Vanessa chick for Bianca…can you say Lifetime Movie?" _Camielle said jokingly again.

Melanie was about to laugh until she realized something, _"Well, if that's the case, my drama would follow right after his'," _Melanie whispered as Camielle sighed once more. _"You should come, show me and everyone else just what type of bad girl Melanie Strauss really is." _Melanie listened to Camielle's words and thought long and hard about each and everyone one of them.

"_Is Nick going to be there?" _Melanie asked. When Camielle gave a 'yes' in a sing-song voice, Melanie smiled deviously. _"Oh, I'm already out my window," _Melanie began; however, Camielle laughed, _"Yeah, there's no way you can talk on the phone and climb out of a window at the same time." _Melanie stopped, _"How come?" _she asked. Camielle cleared her throat. _"Because, you're Melanie, if you're going to be dangerous…you're going to find a safe way to do it," _Camielle said.

Melanie rolled her eyes, _"I hate you," "Touché," _Camielle shot back as Melanie hung up the phone.

**DREW TORRES**

"_Miles!" _Drew shouted as he raced down the basement steps. **Miles **looked up and smiled, _"Drew!" _Miles called back as Drew neared him and Miles handed him a cup of beer. _"Ladies and Gentlemen, Drew Torres's 18__th__ Birthday Party has just begun!" _Miles shouts as the music starts to get louder and everyone starts dancing. Drew starts dancing as well. Drew looks at Miles, _"Hey, man have you seen Bianca?" _

"_Juliana, I know that!" _Bianca shouted into the phone; **Juliana**'s sighs could be heard on the other end. _"Well, when are you planning on telling him?" _she asked. _"How about never," _Bianca said; wondering if that justified her actions. Bianca sighed when she heard Juliana hang up the phone. _"Great, just great, and you wonder why I didn't tell you about the abortion!" _Bianca shouted into the phone. Bianca couldn't believe that she had said that out loud, but she was lucky that no one was around; however, she didn't realize that the sound of heels had just started.

"_Vanessa," _Bianca whispered. Vanessa looked at Bianca with an angry look in her eyes. She had heard the entire conversation.

**HANNAH TANNER**

Hannah _and _**Dustin **were both sitting side by side at the kitchen table; **Ian **and **Helen** – Hannah's mother – were sitting side by side opposite of them.

"_Hannah Elizabeth Tanner, are you serious?" _Helen asked her daughter. Hannah sighed, she knew that this was a bad idea, _"Mom, I know the risk of living with a boyfriend," _Hannah began, until Helen interrupted her. _"Really, because I don't think you do!" _Helen stated. Dustin looked at Hannah and Helen, both of them resembling one another. Ian took Helen's hand.

"_Helen, she's happy, let them both be happy. It's not like we're here that often," _Ian told his wife. Hannah smiled, her father always tried to reason with everyone. _"Ian, I know that you want to give her a little freedom, but look what happened when we gave Hunter the exact same thing…freedom." _The statement caused a long pause in the conversation.

That pause lasted until Dustin broke the silence. _"Look Mr. and Mrs. Tanner, I don't mean any disrespect, but what happened to Hunter was wrong, but that's in the past. You've still got Hannah and if you feel that the best way to keep her safe is to keep me from under your roof, I respect that and I don't want to be a burden. If my own mother couldn't take care of me, why should I expect anybody else, right?" _Dustin said. He then stood up and kissed Hannah passionately on the lips and headed for the door.

After the door closed, Hannah stood up, _"Really mom, really?" _Hannah began. Helen scoffed, _"Excuse me? You're the one that wants a freshman to move in with you. What happens when you graduate and he's stuck here?" _Helen tells Hannah. Hannah looks at her mother and realizes that she's right. Even Jacob said that his uncle wasn't going to take care of another child especially if they have no relation to him.

Hannah sighed as Helen stood up, _"Hannah, sweetie you have your whole life ahead of you. You're going to graduate next year; Dustin's going to be a sophomore and you know it's not going to work, so why force it. It's bound to happen sooner or later. You can't drag him through that…the knowing that he's holding you back, that you're holding him back," _Helen told Hannah as she patted her shoulder and walked around her daughter. Hannah knew that the woman was right.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

"_Well, Happy Birthday Drew!" _Camielle stated as Drew walked by her and **Etienne**. _"Thanks…" _Drew began looking between her and Etienne for a name. _"Camielle Davies," _Camielle said. Drew smiled at her once more as he walked away.

Camielle continued to look around the party; she spotted **Nick**. _"Oh, there's Nick! Occupy him while I look for Melanie?" _Camielle asked. Etienne smiled, _"Baby, do you even have to ask me?" _Etienne said as he walked away after kissing the girl on the cheek. Camielle smiled as she turned around and started looking for Melanie.

"_Ugh, watch it!" _**Lydia **called out as Melanie bumped into her. _"Wait, you're here," _she asked Melanie. _"Don't worry about it," _Melanie answered as she started looking around for anybody that she recognized. Lydia grabbed Melanie's shoulder and turned her around; getting in her face. _"Let me tell you something you disrespectful little whore. Nick's mine!" _Lydia shouted.

Melanie couldn't believe what was happening. _"Get those abominations off of my friend!" _Camielle said as she got in between Melanie and Lydia. Melanie was able to breathe a little. Lydia looked at Camielle, _"Bitch, I'm not afraid of you!" _Camielle looked at Lydia and got into her face. Melanie couldn't believe what was going on.

Nick stepped out of the crowd, Etienne beside him. _"Camielle, what's happening?" _Etienne asked as he pulled his girlfriend away from the other girl. Nick looked at Lydia; he expected her to explain what was going on as well. _"Nick, she started it!" _Lydia began. _"Lydia, you did! I don't believe Melanie would deliberately start something like this!" _Nick continued shouting at his girlfriend. Lydia started to tear up; she couldn't believe that Nick was taking someone else's side other than hers.

Melanie's phone buzzed; it was her parents. 'Tristin made bail; please tell us that you're okay!' Melanie looked at Camielle and headed for the door.

**DREW TORRES**

"_What?" _Vanessa asked as she looked at Bianca. _"You're serious?" _Vanessa asked again; she couldn't believe that Bianca had gotten an abortion. _"I so don't need this right now," _Bianca whispered as she started walking away; however, Vanessa cleared her throat. _"Apparently you said the same thing about that child, huh?" _Vanessa asked her. Bianca turned around and was furious, _"Bitch! You know nothing about what I've been through!" _Bianca shouted as she ran up and shoved Vanessa into the nearby bushes. Vanessa winched in pain. She then focused her eyes on Bianca. _"Ugh!" _Vanessa shouted as she threw herself at Bianca; this caused both of the girls to come crashing through the sliding doors of the Torres' basement. The music stopped and glass was everywhere – Drew came from around the corner and was shocked.

"_Bianca, Vanessa, what's happened?" _Drew asked as he reached for Bianca's hand. Vanessa picked herself up and looked at Bianca and then everyone else at the party. _"You bitch, I'm bleeding," _Vanessa told Bianca. Bianca scoffed, _"So am I, get over it." _With that, Vanessa smiled deviously, _"Well, it's a good thing you're not pregnant anymore, huh?" _Vanessa asked. Drew waved it off, thinking nothing of it. But, Bianca's facial expression told it all. Drew immediately knew what went down. _"You didn't?" _Drew asked Bianca. When Bianca didn't say anything Drew moved around her and grabbed a bottle of beer from off of a nearby coffee table and went upstairs with it.

"_Alright, party's over!" _Adam shouted as everyone started to file out. Bianca looked down at the floor and then back up at her reflection; in which she could see in some of the glass that still remained on the frame of the sliding door. Bianca then let the tears that had been forming in her eyes fall out for the first time tonight.


	15. I Write Sins Not Tragedies (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: **_"I Write Sins Not Tragedies (2)"_

**DREW TORRES**

**Adam **walks down the steps leading to the basement. He immediately spots two beer bottles sitting on the table. He then spots Drew asleep on the couch. Adam sighs as he quickly throws away the bottles before their mother sees them.

"_Drew, are you coming to school?" _Adam asks. Drew opens his eyes and is a little sensitive to the sun. _"I just found out my girlfriend got an abortion. What do you think?" _Drew asks sarcastically as he sits up and immediately brings his hand to his forehead. _"Yeah, well you better say that hangover is a headache!" _Adam said as he jogged back up the steps. Drew couldn't believe that he had drunk so much. He'd only done it to cover up the pain that Bianca had caused him.

Drew jumped at his ringtone, speak of the devil. _"Hello?" _Drew spoke, _"Drew, please don't hang up." _That voice belonged to Bianca; Drew knew it all too well. He quickly hung up the phone as he threw it against the wall; watching as it all shattered into pieces.

Drew then slumped back down on the couch as he cracked open another beer and began to drink it without hesitation.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_**Hannah **walks to her locker; she can't believe that she and her mother got into a huge argument about Hannah breaking up with Dustin.

"_Hello, Earth to Hannah!" _**Jacob **called out as Hannah snapped back into reality. Apparently, Jacob had been calling her name and Hannah had completely tuned him out. _"Oh, sorry Jacob, I've been a having a rough morning." _Jacob's eyes widened at the statement. _"So, I take it Mother Helen approved of Dustin's permanent stay?" _Hannah snickered a little at the nickname Jacob had just given her mother.

"_No, she didn't. Get this; she said that Dustin and I should break up because of our age differences. She said that we were destined to break up sooner or later," _Hannah said in a can-you-believe-that tone. Jacob wanted to tell Hannah that her mother had no right, but Helen had a point.

"_Hannah, she's right. Dustin's in ninth grade…" _Hannah scoffed, cutting off her friend. _"Wow, thanks for the support best friend" _Hannah said as she put air quotes around "best friend". Hannah couldn't believe what she was hearing. Jacob had been the second person to stand in the way of Dustin's happiness.

"_Hannah, I'm sorry," _Jacob started, but Hannah shoved him to the lockers to get him out of her way. Jacob didn't realize that the girl had shoved him so hard and it made a sound that caused **Quinn **and two girls to laugh.

"_Ouch," _Quinn whispered as the other two girls started laughing.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Camielle knocked on the door and smiled as **David **opened the door and spotted Camielle. _"Camielle," _David whispered.

"_Hi, Mr. Strauss, is Melanie home?" _Camielle asked; David smiled, _"Camielle, if Melanie wasn't home, you wouldn't be here." _Camielle snickered at his comment – it was true. David watched Camielle for a second and cleared his throat. _"Melanie, Camielle needs to see you!" _David exclaimed as he looked back at Camielle, _"Ten minutes." _Camielle nodded as Melanie came to the door and David left.

Melanie watched her father leave before she stepped out and closed the door behind her. _"What's going on?" _Melanie asked her friend. Camielle sighed, _"Everything, Lydia and Nick broke up!" _Camielle shouted. _"Yes!" _Melanie shouted as she started jumping up and down. _"Calm down, girlie!" _Camielle stated as she tried to calm her friend down.

Melanie scoffed, _"How am I supposed to calm down after such amazing news?" _Melanie asked the girl; Camielle shrugged, _"I have no idea," _was her only response. _"So, where's Nick now?" _Melanie asked.

Camielle smiled, _"The Pier." _Melanie smiled deviously, but then remembered that she was forbidden to leave the house; however, she didn't care. _"Let's go," _Melanie whispered. Camielle became confused, _"Mel, you're grounded, right?" _Camielle asked. _"Yep, and I don't care. Let's go!" _Melanie shouted as she pulled Camielle behind her as the two started to jog in the direction of The Pier.

**DREW TORRES**

Drew took the bottle away from his mouth, he had just downed an entire bottle of beer and didn't care if he was about to drive or not. He just wanted to forget about everything and everyone, especially Bianca. He could've been a father and she took that away from him. He wasn't ready to forgive her just yet and didn't know if he ever was going to be ready to forgive her. Drew started up the engine and pulled out of his driveway – he was running low on beer and he needed more.

Drew decided to drive a little faster, sure it was dangerous, but it was starting to get dark and there was no way he was going to be out around the time the cops were the most alert. Drew decided that he was going to pass the stop sign to save time. However, this was very dangerous, but Drew managed pass the stop sign without any problems. But, when he passed the green light, a speeding truck collided with him from the side.. Everything for Drew went black after that.

**HANNAH TANNER**

"_Hannah," _**Helen **whispered as she slightly knocked on the door and pushed it open gently to see if her daughter was taking a nap or not. _"Yes?" _Hannah whispered; answering her mother. Helen smiled to herself, she was happy that Hannah was still talking to her. _"Look, I know how hard it was for you to break up with Dustin, but it has to be done…you know that, right?" _Helen told her daughter. Hannah turned over on her side to face her mother. _"I didn't break up with Dustin." _With that, Helen moved over to the bed and sat down, _"Why not?" _Helen asked.

"_Because it's none of your business," _Hannah told the woman as she sat up on her bed. Helen scoffed, _"Like hell it isn't! Hannah, you're my daughter and I'm your mother, you do what I say! Clear?" _Helen stated in one breath. Hannah returned the scoff, _"I respect that, but when you start telling who I can and can't see…that's where I have the problem." _The statement caused Helen to stand up and look at Hannah as if she's lost her mind.

"_Hannah," _Helen whispered._ "Mom, I love you, I really do. But, you can't keep putting restrictions on what I can and can't do!" _Hannah shouts. _"Damn it Hunter's dead and I can't lose you too!" _Helen shouted as she turned around and left the room. Hannah stared at the door entrance and looked down at her bed; she knew what she had to do.

Hannah is sitting down on a park bench; she's just taken out a picture of **Hunter**.

"_God, I miss you." _Hannah started to think of the moments that she and her brother had shared; however, footsteps belonging to **Dustin **brought her back to reality. _"Hannah," _Dustin whispered to get her attention, he was a little unsure if he should disturb her when he caught glimpse of Hunter.

"_Dustin, hi," _Hannah returned. _"You wanted to talk?" _Dustin asked as he went in to kiss her; however, Hannah turned to the side, only allowing Dustin to kiss her cheek. Dustin was a little confused, but he soon was about to learn why she'd done just that.

"_Dustin, I like you. I like you a lot." _That caused Dustin to smile, _"And it's because of that that I have to let you go." _Dustin's smile turned into a frown. _"What?" _Dustin asked as he stood up and looked down at Hannah. Hannah swallowed, _"You're in grade 9 and I'm in grade 11. Next year will never work and you know that," _Hannah said as she watched him start to tear up.

"_So, this is it?" _Dustin asked confusingly as he looked down and then back up at Hannah. Hannah gave an apologetic look before smiling to hide her hurt. _"I guess, look it's just…not going to work. I'm a junior and you're a freshman!" _Hannah said, trying to be cruel with her statement.

"_But, Hannah," _Dustin began, trying to explain that he could be so much more than just that. _"Look, kid, get out of here, you're obviously not going to make me happy…so get lost!" _Hannah shouted. She mentally slapped herself; she'd never been that mean to anyone before, no matter what she was always nice to everyone and Dustin was in that category. As Dustin walked away, Hannah let the tears that she had been fighting back now flow from her eyes.

Hannah couldn't believe it. She was the third and final person standing in the way of Dustin's happiness.

**MELANIE STRAUSS**

Camielle opened the door of The Pier and let Melanie walk in before her. Melanie and Camielle had both just finished snickering about something; however, their snickers quickly died when they spotted **Lydia **and **Nick** pull away after kissing. Melanie looked at the scene; her eyes falling on Nicks'.

"_Melanie?" _Nick whispered; he couldn't believe that she was there and had witnessed the kiss. Melanie smiled to hide the pain and quickly left out of the place before anything else could happen.

"_Melanie," _Camielle shouted as he ran out of The Pier. _"What?" _Melanie asked; however, she continued to walk at a fast pace. _"What's wrong?" _Camielle asked her friend. _"What's wrong? Everything," _Melanie told the girl. _"It's like Lydia always knows where I'm going…to be," _Melanie whispered as she looked at Camielle.

"_You," _Camielle was confused at the statement. _"Camielle, you're the one that told me to go after Nick. You got me to come to that party, just like you got me to go to The Pier!" _Melanie shouted at the girl. Camielle stared at the girl and rolled her eyes as if she'd lost her mind.

Melanie scoffed, _"I can't believe that for one second I thought you were my friend. So, fess up…why'd you even bother to become my friend?" _Melanie asked. Camielle kept her confused look, but realized that Melanie wasn't going to give up, so she gave in. Camielle sighed, _"I lost a bet." _With that, Melanie scoffed and walked off. She couldn't believe that her friendship with Camielle had been built around lies.

Melanie continued to walk in the direction of her house; she had to slow down a few times to ignore the calls of her parents. She knew she would be in a lot of trouble when she got back home, but she really didn't care. Melanie was brought out of her thoughts when she heard footsteps behind her. So, she decided to walk a little faster and it seemed as if the person had started to walk a little faster as well.

Every move that Melanie made, her pursuer did the same. Melanie decided to run; however, when she turned back around, the figure had crossed the street to get into another car and the car drove off in the opposite direction. Melanie let out a sigh of relief, she was happy and then she gulped as she realized her parents were standing on the front steps. Melanie walked up to them and started crying as Greg and **Marcie **both pulled her into their embrace.

However, neither of them realizes the truck across the street has an unknown figure inside of it watching them. The truck cranks up and the figure drives off down the street.

**DREW TORRES**

"_Drew!" _**Audra **shouted as she ran towards the police tape. Audra talked to the man and was allowed to cross. Audra then jogged her way over to the ambulance that Drew was sitting on the back of. _"Andrew Torres!" _Audra called again as Drew watched his mother near him.

"_Mom, I'm sorry." _Drew whispered as Audra wanted to slap him, but she couldn't. She had to keep her composure, because she knew that her son needed her more than ever. Audra pulled him into a hug and started to cry as a police officer neared them. _"Ma'am," _the officer whispered as Audra let Drew go. She cried even more as Drew was handcuffed and taken away to a police car.

Audra watched Drew get into the squad car and when she looked up, she saw Bianca. _"It's your fault!" _Audra shouted as she sped walked over to Bianca. Adam got in the middle of both of them so that nothing would happen. _"This is your fault! Drew didn't become reckless until you walked into his life!" _the woman shouted at Bianca. Bianca didn't say anything; she knew that Audra was just mad at the moment, so she decided to just let it go. _"You've screwed up Adam's life and his. You deserve nothing and no one!" _Audra shouted as she walked around Adam and Bianca.

Bianca looked at Adam, Adam was about to walk away, but instead he pulled her into a hug.


	16. Man In The Mirror (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: **_"Man In The Mirror (1)"_

**MILES JAMES**

**Josh **takes down the 'Now Hiring' sign; **Miles **immediately gasping. He'd hoped that the position would stay open long enough for him to turn in his application. _"Hey, waiter guy," _Miles stated; this caused Josh to turn around and put on a fake smile.

"_It's Josh," _Josh told him and Miles nodded in an I-really-didn't-care type of way. _"I thought the position was still open?" _Miles asked as he was referring to the open position. _"It is, it's just nobody's turned in an application yet…they're too busy with school and other things that don't involve serving people." _Miles listened to Josh's words and stopped him. _"I'd be willing to serve people; I mean it can't be that bad, right?" _Miles asked.

Josh stared at Miles for a minute or two then gave up, _"Fine, you're hired…just don't screw this up. I know you're older than me, but I'm mature for my age," _Josh stated. _"I'm sure you are!" _Miles said, mocking him on the low. Miles couldn't believe that he'd gotten himself his first actual job.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ **Adam **sighed, _"Well, I just walked into school. I'll talk to you later," _Adam said as he hung up his phone. **Vanessa **smiled as she reached her friend, _"OMG! Don't tell me that Adam Torres had a one night stand?" _Adam scoffed at her statement.

"_Nah, that was…my dad," _Adam reassured her. _"Oh, sorry," _Vanessa said; she was laughing now that she and Adam were en route to Adam's locker. As they were walking, **Monique** was heading pass them towards the exit.

"_Monique, what's going on?" _Vanessa asks, noticing that Lakehurst was starting to look rather empty. Monique smiled at Adam as she turned to answer Vanessa's question. _"Well, it's 'Senior Ditch Day' and I'm ditching!" _Monique exclaims as she walks around the duo. Vanessa smiles at her, _"Lucky," _she whispers. Adam just sighs.

"_Don't worry Adam, we'll be seniors soon," _Vanessa said, jokingly as Adam let out a small laugh. _"It's just, my dad's finally back in my life and I haven't even told my mom." _Adam's words caused Vanessa's eyes to grow wide. _"Well, you might want to tell her before your dad shows up carrying the moving boxes," _Adam smiled as Vanessa walked towards her class. He looked inside of his locker, Vanessa was right – he had to tell his mother before things got too out of hand.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_Trevor Lee!" _**Lauren **shouted up the stairs as she listened to sounds of her son's footsteps as they eased closer and closer to the edge of the stairs. _"Yes?" _**Trevor** asked as he looked at the woman. _"What're you doing?" _Lauren asked. _"Ma, its 'Senior Ditch Day'." _Lauren's eyebrows rose, _"I don't care what day it is, if you're 'ditching' it sure as hell is not going to be in this house!" _Lauren called up to him.

"_Well, where am I supposed to go?" _Trevor asked. Lauren looked at him, _"Alli's place?" "Alli's shopping with Rachel." _Lauren wasn't giving up that easily, _"Miles?" _Trevor smiled, _"Miles is looking for a job!" _Trevor said, smiling as if he's won. A smile came across Lauren's face, Trevor knew he'd lost. _"Ah, that's what you'll do today…you're 'Senior Year Project'! Hop to it!" _Lauren shouted at him as she walked back into the kitchen.

Trevor mentally slapped himself; again he'd lost to his mother. He should know better than to challenge the woman, she was older and could outsmart Einstein if need be.

Trevor walked up the remaining steps leading to his room and closed the door behind him as he began to get dressed. He didn't know what he was going to do today. Sure, he could pretend to actually do the project and just talk to Alli all day or he could actually go out and look for an inspiration. Just as Trevor was about to close and shutdown his computer, he saw an advertisement for an "About You Video". Trevor decided that that's what he'll do today – he'll make a difference in someone's life. He thought that it couldn't be that hard.

Trevor closed his laptop and grabbed a light jacket as he walked out of his room, closing his door behind him.

**MILES JAMES**

Miles smiled at Josh, _"Hey, man, thanks for putting in a good word for me!" _Miles told him. Josh put his hands up, _"Hey, of course. I know how it was when I first started looking for a job. I'm just glad you could start today," _Josh admitted. Miles nodded at the boy's words as Josh disappeared to the back. Miles's attention was brought to the door when he heard the bells chime. He turned and saw **Sarah **and Monique and immediately sighed.

"_Well, Monique, I've never been here before, have you?" _Sarah asked. Monique smiled, _"No, Sarah…I haven't," _Miles rolled his eyes playfully at the two girls – well, two brats. _"How did you two find out about where I worked?" _Miles asked. Monique looked at him and then at Sarah. _"Are you forgetting that Sarah Davies is the Queen of Twitter?" _Monique asked and Miles nodded in agreement. Sarah did seem to know everything about everything.

"_Anyway, not to state the obvious, but I'm hungry," _Sarah said. Miles looked at her, _"Well, what would you like. We've got everything…you name it!" _Miles stated. Sarah smiled deviously, _"Really? Well in that case, I'll have the caviar," _Sarah said. Miles immediately eyed her and she laughed.

"_I'm kidding; just give us both a plate of coconut shrimp and some…grilled fish sandwiches?" _Sarah paused as she looked at the menu; Monique and Miles becoming confused by her actions. _"Wait a minute, why is everything on here seafood?" _Sarah asks them.

Miles brings his palm to his forehead. Monique giggles, Sarah still confused as to why The Pier only sells seafood; however, she then starts laughing with Monique.

**ADAM TORRES**

"_Adam's not here!" _**Audra **shouted. Adam could hear his mother's voice from the outside of his home. He eased his way up to the door and listened to the shouting that was evident inside of the place. _"Well, where is he!" _Adam heard; he recognized that voice, it was **Samuel**'s voice.

"_Dad," _Adam began as he opened the door to see Audra and Samuel facing one another; Adam found himself in the middle of the both of them. _"Dad, what're you doing here?" _Adam asked. Samuel's anger had disbanded when he heard Adam call him 'dad'.

"_I came here to get you!" _Samuel stated, Audra looking at Adam confusingly. _"Adam, how did you even find him?" _she asked. Adam went to explain, but Samuel took over. _"He felt trapped inside of this place and now I'm here to help free him, to help him." _Adam smiled at his father's words. He didn't know that he could be so accepting of Adam's situation.

Audra looked at Samuel; rolling her eyes she walked over to Adam. _"Is this what you want, to live with someone who walked out of your life?" _Audra asked. Adam swallowed hard, his mother had a point. _"But, mom…you've never let me express myself the way…" _Adam began, but was immediately cut off by his mother. _"I don't let you express yourself! Adam I have done nothing but support you and Drew both from day one!" _Audra shouted.

"_Mom, I love you, I really do. But, that's B.S. and you know it!" _Adam shouted as Audra looked at him as if she wanted to slap him, but she kept her composure, especially in front of Samuel.

"_When I dated Bianca, you antagonized her and now that Drew's dating her…you're still antagonizing her. I cannot believe for one second you could stand here and say that!" _Adam finished as he was prepared to leave with Samuel.

Audra was who swallowed now; she couldn't believe that Adam was starting to call her out because of her ways. She knew that she jumped to conclusions after Drew's car accident. Hell, it wasn't like Bianca forced Drew to drink and drive. Audra looked at Adam and faintly smiled, _"If living with your father is what you truly want…then I'm no longer going to stand in your way." _With that, Audra walked out of the living room, leaving Adam and Samuel there – alone.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_Lakehurst is where I attend school!" _Trevor shouted into the camera as he walked backwards, getting a shot on the school. Trevor tripped up a little, but managed to catch himself before he fell to the ground. _"Alright, cut!" _Trevor called out.

**Dustin **scoffed, _"What, you've got to be kidding me!" _Dustin called back. _"That was great," _Dustin finished. _"How was me almost busting my ass great?" _Trevor asked the freshman. _"Well, for starters, it was original. It wasn't planned, it was real and nowadays that's what people want…something…real," _Dustin whispered as his gaze fell on **Hannah**, who was talking to **Jacob**. Trevor followed his gaze and sighed, giving up.

"_Hey, freshman, I only let you tape this because you know how to work that thing better than anyone. Now, I'm not paying you to stand around here reminiscing about your days with Hannah and what could've been," _Trevor said as Dustin was brought back into reality.

"_Sorry, I'll go get some more film," _Dustin said as he jogged up the steps and entered Lakehurst. Trevor sighed as he turned around and spotted **Bianca **sitting down on steps. He smiled; he would've thought that he'd be the only one to be here during Senior Ditch Day.

"_What's the matter; did your boyfriend ditch you?" _Trevor asked. Bianca looked up at him and showed him a sarcastic smile, _"Yeah, he's got an 8 o'clock date with the warden." _Trevor mentally slapped himself. He'd forgotten about the car accident that Drew had gotten in. _"Sorry," _he whispered, Bianca shrugged it off and ignored him, _"What are you doing here anyway?" _she asked him. _"Senior Year Project, you," _Trevor retaliated with a question of his own. Bianca smiled, _"Same, but I have no clue on what to do," _she admitted.

Trevor smiled as he sat beside her, _"Well, I'm doing an 'About You' video…want to team up?" _Trevor asked her. Bianca rolled her eyes; she knew that this was bound to go downhill, but she figured that she'd give it a shot. _"Fine, but if we're doing this 'About You' video, it's not going to be about just you, clear?" _Bianca asked. Trevor nodded, _"Crystal," _he whispered.

Bianca gathered her belongings and stood up, _"Follow me," _she whispered as Trevor nodded and followed her behind Lakehurst. Vanessa watched as the two walked away in unison; Vanessa immediately pulled out her cell phone, there was no way she was going to let Bianca do the same thing to Alli and Trevor that she did her and Drew.

**MILES JAMES**

**Sarah **flung her fry at Monique, _"Hey," _Monique shouted as she flinched at the fry. Miles looked at the pair, they were the only ones left inside of The Pier. _"Aren't you two supposed to be shopping?" _Miles asked as he looked at them. Sarah scoffed, _"Are you serious? A serial killer might attack me!" _Sarah joked, she excluded Monique. Monique only laughed as she gathered her purse; Sarah copying the movement.

Miles smiled at the two, he couldn't believe that they were best friends; he'd thought with Sarah's conniving personality meeting Monique's considerate one, they were both destined to collide and bump heads. Yet, the two had managed to be there for each other, something Miles was intrigued by.

"_Well, TTYL!" _Sarah exclaimed as she walked towards the exit. Monique smiled and playfully rolled her eyes at her friend. She then walked towards Miles, _"Thanks for the free fries" _Monique whispers, they were the only two in the restaurant, but she still had to whisper 'free'. Miles smiled, _"No problem," _he whispered. Before he could clean up their table, Monique reached up and placed a gentle kiss on his cheek. Miles smiled at her and watched her as she left.

Miles smiled again, he'd managed to clean up the restaurant and he'd completed his first day on the job – something he was proud of. Miles walked towards the exit as he zipped up his jacket and locked the door behind him. Miles looked at The Pier once more before he headed in the direction of his car. Miles hadn't noticed the cop behind him who had just received a description of a suspect.

Miles made his way over to his car and was a little frustrated when the key got stuck. He'd managed to hear footsteps and the description of the suspect. _'Be on the lookout for an African American male breaking into vehicles." _With that, Miles realized what the cop thought he was doing and turned around to explain; however, the cop felt threatened, _"Gun!" _he shouted before he pulled out his weapon and fired it at Miles.

Miles was on the ground and he was looking up at the sky as he began to drift into oblivion.


	17. Man In The Mirror (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: **_"Man In The Mirror (2)"_

**MILES JAMES**

**Miles** is lying on the ground; he's been shot and he's quickly sinking into oblivion. Miles is on the verge of giving up; however, he hears **Monique**'s voice, followed by **Sarah**'s. The cop that shot him has just left the scene of the crime.

"_Sarah, didn't you grab your purse before we left?" _Monique asked her friend. Sarah smiled, _"Yeah, but I got distracted!" _Sarah shot back. _"Distracted by what?" _Monique asked. _"Um, a kiss you planted on Miles's cheek!" _Sarah teased as she looked through the glass of the store, _"Ha, it is right there!" _Sarah shouted. Both girls were startled by **Josh**'s presence as he came with the keys.

"_Where's Miles?" _Josh asked and Monique was going to speak until Sarah did, _"Miles," _Sarah whispered. Josh looked at her confusingly, _"Yeah where is he?" _Josh asked. _"Miles," _Sarah whispered again – this time Monique looked at her friend confusingly, _"Sarah, what's up with you?" _Monique asked. Sarah quickly pointed to Miles's lifeless body. Monique screamed as Josh raced to call 911, unaware that one of their own officers had something to do with it.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ **Adam **smiled as he watched **Samuel**'s car pull up to the sidewalk next to Lakehurst. _"Well, this is it, huh?" _**Vanessa **asked him as he turned to look at the girl. _"Yep, no more Toronto, no more Lakehurst…I'm finally free from this Hell Hole." _Vanessa smiled a little at Adam's statement. _"Who's going to keep Bianca from attacking me?" _Vanessa asked as Adam looked at her sternly, _"And vice versa," _Vanessa whispered; revealing that it takes two to tango.

Adam pulled the girl into a hug and Vanessa hugged him back; Adam couldn't believe that he and Vanessa had grown as friends and he wouldn't want it any other way. Adam pulled back and flashed Vanessa one last smile as he got into the car and Samuel drove off.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_And…cut!" _**Dustin **shouted as he stopped recording. _"How was that one?" _**Trevor **asked Dustin, who nodded his head, _"Perfect." _Trevor smiled at the statement as Dustin led the seated girl out of the gym and signaled for another student to enter.

Trevor watched him and then his face was covered by hands belonging to the one and only **Bianca**. _"Guess who?" _Bianca said. Trevor laughed, _"Could it be, Bianca L. DeSousa actually plays cheesy 'guess who' games?" _Trevor asked as Bianca quickly punched his shoulder. _"Ouch," _Trevor whispered. _"Who told you my middle name?" _Bianca asked him. Trevor shook his head, _"I'm not telling!" _Trevor stated as Bianca rolled her eyes at his statement before she broke out into laughter. _"She laughs," _Trevor teased; Bianca giving him another punch to the shoulder.

"_Where's that camera nerd?" _Bianca asked, referring to Dustin. Trevor immediately stopped her, _"Don't. Dustin's pretty cool, and considering that we've both dealt with the same kinds of things…he's cool in my book," _Trevor stated. Bianca smiled at him; she had no clue that Trevor was the brotherly type. _"Oh yeah, what's that?" _Bianca asked. Trevor smiled and looked down, _"We've both had a parent…hit us." _The statement that caused Bianca to feel like a complete idiot; however, Trevor reassured her that she had no idea and she started laughing with him.

"_So what about you," _Trevor asked her, Bianca now quieting down now that Trevor has asked about her parents. _"Well, Etienne and I stay with our aunt Juliana…she's okay I guess." _Trevor playfully rolled his eyes, _"Come on Bianca L…" _Trevor began; however, he saw firsthand the look on her face and decided to just leave it at 'Bianca'. _"Seriously, Trevor…my parents aren't parents." _Bianca sat down on the stairs that led to the washrooms, Trevor copied her action.

"_I mean, I never really knew my father. But, for what I can remember about my mom…she was a bitch. She had some freaky coke addiction and when she couldn't score enough change to get her fix…she fixed me up when I was 12 and I…" _Bianca stopped and released a breath; Trevor pulled her into a hug – immediately knowing what she was hinting at. He couldn't believe that something so heartbreaking and disturbing could happen to someone like Bianca. The girl was strong.

"_Trevor," _**Alli **stated as she and **Vanessa **had just made their way into the gym. Alli quickly walked out and Vanessa followed suit as Trevor cursed himself; Bianca apologized and quickly left the gym as well. Trevor couldn't believe what had just happened.

**MILES JAMES**

**Josh **looked at the girls; he smiled faintly. _"I better get to work, I can't miss my shift." _Those words didn't break Monique's concentration, so Sarah had to speak up. _"That's fine, Josh…thanks for calling 911," _Sarah stated; assuring the boy that she and Monique were grateful for his actions. Josh nodded and left down the hall of the hospital; Sarah didn't speak until he was out of sight.

"_Monique, what's up? Talk to me!" _Sarah said. This is what snapped Monique out of her trance. _"He's dead," _Monique simply said as Sarah scoffed, _"Don't say that!" _Sarah shouted. Monique looked at her friend, _"He is! There's no way someone can survive a bullet to the chest!" _Monique shouted. _"It missed his heart!" _Sarah countered. _"Oh, well lucky him," _Monique said. Sarah immediately knew what this was about.

"_Monique, I'd like to believe that God has a plan for all of us, it may not be what we want…but, I can assure you, it's going to be okay." _Monique listened to Sarah's words, but she couldn't come to terms with the fact that Miles could die; that she's going to die. For Monique, it sucked. _"How did you do it?" _Monique asked Sarah; who was a little confused. _"How did you overcome…everything? How did you get your life back?" _Monique asks her friend. _"Simple," _Sarah began, _"I have the most amazing friends that'll do anything for me and that's exactly what Miles has. He has us and he'll always have us!" _Sarah said as she patted Monique's back. However, both girls looked up as a doctor approached them.

"_Hi, I'm Dr. Isaac," _**Dr. Isaac **stated as he smiled at both Sarah and Monique; both of the girls were anxious to hear about Miles's condition. _"Well, he's awake and he's stable. I think it'll help if one of you goes and talks to him?" _Dr. Isaac hinted. Sarah smiled as she nudged Monique, _"You sure?" _Monique asks, mainly because Sarah always wants to be the one to find something out before anyone else. _"Yeah, Dr. Cutie and I will get acquainted." _Monique smiled at her friends' statement as she stood up and walked towards Miles's room.

Monique peeked in the room and spotted Miles's eyes open; she couldn't believe that he had gone through so much. She knew that he had grown tired of being in and out of hospitals. _"Miles?" _Monique started as she entered the room. _"Twice," _Miles whispered; Monique became confused as to what he was hinting. _"Twice I've had to deal with something because of the color of my skin." _Monique felt bad for him. He'd been shot and there was nothing she could do.

Monique opened her mouth to speak; however, there was a knock at the door; it was **Gloria **– Miles's mother – Monique smiled at the woman and pulled her into a hug. Monique didn't care that the woman was crying; she just knew that Gloria would've done the same for her.

**ADAM TORRES**

"_So, Adam," _Samuel began as Adam smiled at him. _"Look, this FTM thing is…" _Samuel began_ "Is going to take some getting used to?" _Adam interrupted and Samuel nodded. _"Hopefully not too much getting used to." _That statement coming from Samuel confused and pleased Adam all at once. Adam didn't know how Samuel was so accepting of his situation, but he didn't question it.

"_Anyway, Lauren, my daughter is a sweetheart and you'll love her. She's always wanted an older sister…" _Samuel said; Adam noticing his sentence was off by a longshot. _"I mean…I have son too," _Samuel said, correcting himself. Adam smiled – at least the man was trying. _"Hey, it's hard I know, but just let it come with time, okay?" _Adam asked.

Samuel nodded; however, he didn't feel comfortable with his daughter being a FTM and he was a little mad at the fact that Audra allowed Gracie to do something like that.

"_Look, Lauren, she can teach you," _Samuel started and Adam looked at the man confusingly. _"She can teach me what?" _Adam asked and Samuel smiled; as if Adam wanted to actually go through with being a girl again. _"She can teach you how to be a girl…wouldn't that be great?" _Samuel asked him. Adam scoffed, _"Yeah, now you're definitely pushing it. I'm a boy, not a girl, clear?" _Adam asked – he'd had a feeling that this was going to take an unexpected turn. _"How, how can you just change yourself," _Samuel asked. Adam looked at him, _"Stop the car, now!" _Adam shouted as the car came to a sudden stop. Adam got out of the car and looked at Samuel, _"I didn't change, I'm the same person I've been since birth." _With that, Adam started en route to his home.

Adam looked at the house; he couldn't believe that he'd actually left his mother behind at a time like this. Adam knocked on the door and felt nervous as footsteps reached it. **Audra **smiled at the boy and immediately took him back with open arms. _"Mom, I'm sorry…he didn't want to help me the way I thought he did." _Audra nodded her head and realized exactly what Adam meant.

Audra looked at Adam and smiled, _"One difference between him and I; I love you for you." _The statement warmed Adam's heart and caused him to realize exactly where he belonged; that was here, with his mother. Adam walked into the house with Audra by his side. _"It's good to be home," _Adam whispered as he closed the door behind them.

**TREVOR LEE**

Trevor walked out of Lakehurst; immediately spotting Alli and Vanessa side-by-side, sitting on the steps. Trevor eased his way towards the duo, _"Alli," _he began. This caught Alli's attention and signaled her to get up and leave; however, Trevor jogged down the remaining steps and stood in front of her.

"_What's wrong?" _Trevor asked her. _"What's wrong? You should know what's wrong?" _Alli countered as she pointed towards the school. Trevor realized that his spending time with Bianca was going to somehow be misinterpreted as an affair. _"Look, I was going to tell you, I really was, it's just…" _Trevor started, but stopped as he had become confused as to how Alli even found out about Bianca. _"How did you know that I was working on my Senior Project with Bianca?" _Trevor asked.

Alli quickly froze; she didn't want Trevor to know that Vanessa had told her. However, Trevor looked at Vanessa and realized that she was the only one who has had past complications with Bianca. _"Vanessa, seriously," _Trevor began. _"Look, Trevor it's not her fault," _Alli stated as she was defending Vanessa, who had begun to walk over to the group. _"Like Hell it isn't. She's so caught up in Drew that she doesn't know when to move on!" _Trevor shouted.

Vanessa scoffed, _"Excuse me?" _Vanessa started, Trevor being the one to scoff now. _"You're so jealous of what he and Bianca have that you can't find it for yourself!" _Trevor shouted. _"Guys stop!" _Alli shouted, but Vanessa continued to talk, _"Oh, yeah and what is it that I can't find for myself?" _Vanessa asked. Trevor looked at her, _"You're too busy wrapped up in everyone else's relationships that you can't find love and get your own! You're the reason Rachel and Diego broke up; the reason Bianca and Drew almost broke up; now you're the reason for Alli breaking up with me now!" _Trevor shouted. Vanessa looked at Trevor; she couldn't believe that he was right. If she hadn't intervened in all of those relationships none of them would've been impaired.

Vanessa looked at Alli and then Trevor, _"I'm sorry," _she said as she jogged up the steps of Lakehurst. Trevor mentally slapped himself; he couldn't believe that he had said those things to Vanessa. _"Damn it, Vanessa, I'm sorry!" _Trevor shouted, but Vanessa ignored him and left. Trevor was then shocked when a hand came across his face. _"Alli," _Trevor started, _"I don't know what has gotten into you, but you do not, and I repeat to do not talk to my friends like that!" _Alli shouted.

"_So, your friends can talk to me like I'm a dog?" _Trevor asked. Alli laughed, _"You know what, and it doesn't even matter. Or at least, it doesn't anymore!" _Alli stated; signaling that their break up is now official.

**MILES JAMES**

"_Monique Coleman," _Miles whispers as Monique started to wake up. _"Miles, you're talking!" _Monique exclaims; Miles snickers, _"Yeah, I can breathe too." _That caused Monique to smile. She was glad that the old Miles was starting to come back. _"God, I thought you'd left me!" _Monique whispered as she started to tear up. Miles immediately shushed her as he used all his strength to sit up in bed and hug her.

"_How could I ever leave my friends?" _Miles stated; Monique was glad that he had said that, but she was kind of hoping that she would be more important than their circle of friends. Monique wiped her eyes and started for her purse; however, Miles pulled her back and Monique was speechless as she was inches away from his lips.

"_And if I had to be honest, you're what kept me going," _Miles whispered as he passionately kissed Monique.

"_Well, it's about time!" _Sarah shouted as she had snuck into the room; causing Monique to quickly pull away. _"Sarah," _Monique began, but Sarah interrupted her friend. _"Don't mind me; I just came to inform Miles that Trevor just called me. He said he's on his way," _Sarah informed the pair. Miles smiled, _"Thank you, Sarah!" _Miles said as Sarah shot both of them an "it-was-only-a-matter-of-time look."

Monique scoffed as her best friend left the room; however, she had been interrupted by Miles's lips meeting her own again. Miles pulled back and looked at Monique as if she was everything he had ever dreamed of. _"It's a great day to be alive," _he whispered as Monique nodded; laughing afterwards, Miles following with a series of laughs.


	18. Russian Roulette (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: **_"Russian Roulette (1)"_

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

"_Miles, you've made one miraculous recovery." _With that, **Miles **and **Monique **smiled at **Dr. Isaac** as he made his way down the hall. Miles then pulled the girl into a kiss, something that Monique had grown accustomed to. _"I'm going to go sign out with my mom; I'll be right back, okay?" _Miles said as he walked towards the front desk. Monique couldn't believe that they were finally together and that it took so long.

"_Crap!" _Monique immediately turned to see a woman picking up some items and realized that she had dropped them. She decides to go help the woman. _"Hey, you okay?" _Monique asks. The woman smiles as Monique begins to help. _"Yes, thank you…" _the woman states, looking for a name. _"Oh, Monique Coleman, you are?" _Monique answers her question and asks her own. _"Carol Phillips," _**Carol **said as she and Monique smiled at one another.

Monique's smile faded as she saw the medication Carol had been carrying. _"CHF, this for CHF right," _Monique asked as she looked at the woman. _"Yes, but it's not mine, it's for my daughter." _Monique was reassured that she wasn't the only one in the situation. _"How did you…" _Carol began, Monique began to speak,_ "Well, I was diagnosed with it not too long ago." _Carol nodded, _"How old are you?" _Carol asked and Monique was reluctant to tell her at first, but she did anyway, _"I'm 18, I'm graduating in 3 weeks…I'm so ready," _Monique finished as Carol snickered a little.

"_She would've been your age and probably just as eager to graduate," _Carol said as Monique felt sympathy, _"She's dead?" _she simply asked. Carol quickly objected, _"No, there was a mix up at the hospital…they told me that my baby had died; however, DNA proved that that baby belonged to another woman who basically dropped off the face of the Earth." _Monique felt bad for Carol as she started to think about a lot of things. _"So, how did you know your daughter had CHF?" _Monique asked. _"I don't, her father died from it and I just…it's better to be safe than sorry." _Carol's words and her story touched Monique in a heartfelt way.

"_Well, I better get going," _Carol said as she started walking away.

"_Hey babe, you ready to go?" _Miles asked as he came towards Monique. Monique was brought back to reality as she smiled at Miles; both leaving the hospital.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST…**_ _"What?"_ **Rachel **asks as she looks at **Trevor**; he appears to have told her about how he and Alli broke up. _"Trevor, why didn't you tell her about hanging with Bianca from the get-go?" _Rachel asked her cousin. _"Because, if I had told her, then I wouldn't have a project to do," _Trevor tells her. Rachel rolls her eyes, _"Oh my God, this Bianca chick has you right where she wants you…in her bed." _Trevor ignores Rachel's words. _"She's with Drew!" _he states after shortly thinking about the situation. _"Drew was with Vanessa." _Trevor shook his head at Rachel's input – he was ready graduate and fast.

"_Anyway, I've gotta get to class," _Rachel states as heads into Lakehurst; however, Rachel doesn't feel too well as she starts coming in contact with the students surrounding her. Soon she feels as if someone is following her and turns around only to discover that it's just a group of cheerleaders.

Rachel places her back to the lockers and realizes that she's alone in the hallway; she's just experienced a panic attack. The result of being attacked by four girls, and she'd never forgive Connie for that.

"_Rachel Lee, right?"_ – The voice of **Bianca DeSousa** caused Rachel to look up at the girl and smile; nodding. _"Yeah, that's me." _Bianca nods, _"You okay?" _she asks. _"Yeah…no, actually, I'm not," _Rachel answers. _"Well, what's up? Maybe I can help?" _Bianca offers. Rachel looks at the girl and smiles as she starts talking about the attack.

**BRITTANY MOSS**

"_Ugh," _**Brittany **states as **Cedric **makes his way over to her. _"Well, screw you too," _he states, playfully after realizing that Brittany was talking about **Randy **and **Quinn**'s "friendships". _"Sorry, Cedric…I just hate her!" _Brittany said. Cedric sighed, _"You sure you hate Quinn or the fact that she's with Randy?" _Cedric asks. Brittany continues to stare at the two, _"I mean, I'd do anything to be over him, but I can't," _Brittany admitted as she closed her locker and spotted a flyer for a Talent Show; it also caught Cedric's eye as well.

"_See, this what you need to keep you mind off of those two!" _Brittany shakes her head, _"I don't know, Ced, I don't exactly have the best voice in the world," _Brittany said as she started to feel a little unsure about herself. Cedric scoffed, _"Are you serious, have you forgotten that you're going to Teen Idol next year!" _Cedric stated. _"I would've gone this year if Randy hadn't made me feel guilty for leaving him behind. Especially, since he was screwing Quinn behind my back!" _Brittany stated.

Cedric then scoffed as he and Brittany saw Quinn holding a flyer and signing up for the Talent Show. _"Game on," _Brittany whispers as she grabs the flyer off of her locker.

Brittany walks into the auditorium, where the Talent Show will take place. She smiles noticing **Josh **setting up the stage. _"Hey, Brittany," _Josh greets her as she looks at him, _"Hey," _she returns. _"I'm a little surprised to see you here," _Brittany said as she made conversation with him. Josh looked at her, _"I had no other choice, and I owed Keith one."_

At that moment **Keith **walked out, _"Yeah, Quinn basically ruined the double date," _Keith said; reminding Brittany about that night. _"Oh, well who's in charge," _Brittany asks. _"That would be me!" _**Vanessa **stated as she looked at Brittany. _"Well, Moss has a talent other than convincing people to steal from a cash register," _Vanessa teased as Brittany snickered. Josh and Keith both look confused as to what was going on. Vanessa signaled for Keith to finish setting up.

"_Well, well look who it is?" _Quinn stated as she entered the auditorium with two girls behind her. _"Quinn, I didn't know you signed up for the Talent Show, what're you doing, blowjobs?" _Brittany asks as snickers filled the room. _"That, plus the five other things you couldn't do to keep your boyfriend." _Again, more snickers. Brittany got into Quinn's face, _"Hey, if you're going to kick each other's asses, take it outside, clear?" _Vanessa stated. Quinn nodded as she left with the girls at her heels.

Brittany watched her; she then looked at Josh who looked at her with an apologetic look.

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

Miles and Monique are walking, _"Well, how sure are you about it?" _Miles asked Monique. _"I mean is it a coincidence or could Carol Phillips really by my mother?" _Monique asked as she looked at her boyfriend. _"Mo, what if she is? It's not guaranteed that she'd be willing to give you her heart; this isn't exactly a disease you can beat. Plus, I don't think your mom would lie to you about this," _Miles stated and Monique sighed.

"_I don't think she knows," _Monique whispered. _"Maybe you could ask her?" _Miles suggested. _"Yeah, I know that. But, one half is saying there's no way your mother, the one who raised you, isn't your mother." _Miles looked at her, _"The other half?" _he begins, _"The other half wants it to be true…is that, does that make me a horrible person?" _Monique finishes with a question. _"No, it makes you human." _Monique smiled at Miles's statement as they continued to walk towards her car.

**RACHEL LEE**

"_Ugh, Rachel, where are you?" _**Alli **asked herself as she checked her watch; she'd been waiting outside of Lakehurst since the school dismissed. She knew that she wasn't attending the school any longer, but she was still going to be there for Rachel and Vanessa. But, Vanessa had some extracurricular activity going on; however, Rachel was supposed to come right out.

Alli was getting ready to call Rachel; however, she spotted the girl coming down the steps. But, Alli wasn't pissed until she saw exactly what was keeping Rachel, more like who.

"_Bianca DeSousa," _Alli starts, Bianca immediately shooting Alli a glare because of the use of her name. _"Alli, wait," _Rachel begins, trying to prevent anything violent from happening. Alli stopped looking at Bianca to look at Rachel. _"Wait, for what? For you to tell me the same thing Trevor did?" _Alli states in one breath. Rachel looked at the girl, _"No, no! Bianca's actually a great person once you get to know her." _Bianca smiled at Rachel's words – she'd never thought that she'd ever hang out with Rachel Lee.

"_Yeah, I don't think I care long enough to stick around to get to know her!" _Alli shouted, directing her words towards Bianca, who now stepped down closer to her. Rachel immediately put herself in between the glaring girls. _"Bianca, don't." _Bianca scoffed at Rachel's words and walked around Alli and towards her car.

"_I cannot believe that you're actually hanging out with that…freak show!" _Alli stated as she looked back at Bianca and then back to Rachel. Rachel's facial expression changed as she looked down at her feet. _"You're a freak show, Alli!" _Rachel shouted at the girl. _"Excuse me?" _Alli began, questioning Rachel's statement. _"You dropped out of school just to be with your 'soul mate', you broke up with him just because he killed somebody by accident. You made my cousin fall in love with you and then you broke his heart because he was working on a project. Alli, you break up with guys because things become too tough for you to handle!" _Rachel stated.

Alli looked at the girl. _"You know what, you've never had a descent relationship so why should I care about what you say and don't say to me!" _Rachel scoffed, _"Well, maybe if you and Vanessa would stop meddling in my life maybe I could find someone!" _Rachel finished as she started to walk away. _"No, sweetie. Vanessa and I have nothing to do with that. It's your fault, you're the one who's scared…I wonder were you like that before or after the attack?" _Alli asked. Rachel stopped halfway down the steps.

Rachel looked back at Alli and walked up to her, immediately slapping her. Alli looked at the girl with anger. _"Oh, sorry Alli. Does that bring back memories…" _Rachel whispered, referring to Raj. She then turned around and continued en route to Bianca's car.

"_Rachel," _Rachel turned to look at Trevor who had come out of nowhere. _"Trevor, what's up?" _Rachel asks. _"What was that?" _Trevor asked. Rachel smiled at him, _"Oh, that. Well, that was the 'new' Rachel." _Trevor didn't know if he liked the sound of that or not. _"Well, maybe you should be careful." _Rachel scoffed at the words, _"Sorry, I listen to one person and one person only…myself." _Rachel and Bianca entered the car and Bianca sped off down the street.

Trevor looked back at Alli; both looking at the car, knowing that Rachel was starting to become something she'd later regret in life.

**BRITTANY MOSS**

"_Ugh," _Brittany states as she walks out of the auditorium; she immediately spots Cedric waiting for her outside of the auditorium. She smiles to herself and walks towards him, _"Its official, Quinn Allen is a bitch." _Cedric snickers at Brittany's statement, _"You're just now realizing that?" _Cedric asks as the two head towards the double doors leading outside.

"_Brittany!" _Brittany and Cedric turn to face the owner of the familiar voice – Randy. _"Randy," _Brittany whispers as Cedric looks between the two. _"I'll be in the car, Britt." _Brittany smiles at Cedric as he leaves the building; she then turns and faces Randy, wondering what he could say to her that he couldn't have said any other day other than today.

"_I'm sorry." _Those words coming from Randy were enough to send chills down Brittany's spine as she didn't know what to expect from this conversation. _"You're sorry, for what exactly?" _Brittany asks; she wants to be sure that he's apologizing for his actions instead of Quinn's actions. _"For cheating on you," _Randy whispers; as if questioning himself, wondering if he should continue. _"Britt, you were the best thing that ever happened to me and I ruined that. I ruined that because I was so selfish…I didn't want you to leave me." _Brittany listens to his words. She can't believe that she's falling for him again, right now, at this very moment.

"_Randy," _Brittany begins, but Randy cuts her off. _"Let me finish, please?" _Randy asks and Brittany nods as Randy begins to speak again. _"I'm sorry for cutting off my friendship with you and Cedric, I'm sorry for abandoning our trio, I'm sorry for letting put all your faith and trust in me only for it to blow back up in your face. I just – I just want a second chance to prove to you that you're worth fighting for." _Randy's words put him on the verge of tears – a side of Randy Brittany has never seen before until now. It broke her heart to see him that much pain.

"_Randy, I – I love you." _Randy looked up at Brittany and weakly smiled; he was glad that he hadn't made a complete fool of himself. _"But, I'm not in love with you." _Brittany tells him as she kisses his cheek, a goodbye kiss. She's finally able to let him go – with no regrets. She's done playing second field when it comes to Quinn. _"Britt, please." _Randy cannot believe he's begging, but she's worth it. _"Randy, I've moved on. It's time for you to do the same," _she whispers as she heads back towards the double doors leading outside.

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

"_Mom, I'm home!" _Monique shouts as **Sheryl **walks out from the kitchen. _"Hey, honey…how war your day?" _Sheryl asked her daughter. Monique smiled, _"It was…eventful," _she started as she followed Sheryl into the kitchen.

"_Ma, can I ask you a question?" _Monique asked and Sheryl nodded, wondering what could be going on. _"Are you my real mother?" _Monique asked as Sheryl dropped the casserole she had been preparing for them. _"Of course I am; why would you ask me something like that?" _Sheryl asked as she went down to pick up the shattered meal. Monique felt a little uneasy about the reaction she'd received.

"_Ma, I'm sorry, it's just today at the hospital I met a woman named Carol Phillips and she said that there was some kind of a mix up at the hospital and her daughter had CHF…I just thought," _Monique was then cut off by the woman, _"You think I'm stupid, that I don't know my own child?" _Sheryl asked Monique.

Monique grew silent as the woman continued to speak. Then things went quiet as Sheryl decided to say what she should've said 18 years ago, _"She's not mine." _The words puzzled Monique as she looked at Sheryl. _"She's not mine is what I should've told the doctor, but I didn't. Because, if I had then my daughter would've been dead and Carol would've had you!" _Sheryl stated. Monique couldn't believe what she had just heard. _"How, how did you cover that up," _she asked and Sheryl looked down.

"_I left Toronto and changed everything…phone numbers, appearances…we had to be a family." _Monique was shocked at her "mother's" actions. _"Why didn't you tell me sooner, don't you realize I could've died? Or were you going to let that secret go with you to the grave?" _Monique asked all at once. Sheryl was speechless, _"I didn't want to lose you," _she whispered as Monique scoffed, _"Well, you did…goodbye 'Sheryl'_." With that, Monique left the house.

Monique pulled out her phone, _"Hello?" _**Sarah **answered. _"Hey, what're you doing?" _Monique asked and Sarah sighed, _"Nothing, really. Trying to pick out my outfit for tomorrow, why?" _Sarah asked. _"No reason, hey do you mind if I crash at your place tonight?" _Monique asked. Sarah was a little confused, but smiled, _"Of course," _she whispered as Monique hung up the phone and continued to get into her car. She glanced at the house once more before driving off.


	19. Russian Roulette (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: **_"Russian Roulette (2)"_

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

"_Ah, Sarah, you were right!" _**Monique **exclaims as she, **Sarah**, and **Miles **emerge from the mall, Miles is carrying the bags. _"Right, about what," _Sarah asked and Monique shot her a look that brought Sarah back to their conversation about her mother. Sarah smiles, _"I always am." _Monique continues to walk; she smiles as her phone rings – its **Sheryl**, she's calling her – again. Monique quickly presses 'ignore'. Miles looks at Sarah.

Sarah nods as she grabs the bags from Miles and speed walks towards her car. Monique watches the girl confusingly, _"Sarah, where's the fire?" _Monique calls after the girl. Miles eases up beside his girlfriend. Monique, well Monique knew what this was – a private intervention.

"_Miles, what're you doing?" _Monique asks him. _"What a guy can't walk beside his girlfriend?" _Monique rolled her eyes. She really didn't feel like being told what to do; especially now. _"Look, Monique, Sarah and I know that you're ignoring Sheryl, because of this Carol Phillips thing," _Miles nodded and Monique looked at him. _"You have the right to be mad," _Miles's words were appealing to how Monique was feeling and she liked that.

"_But, are you right to walk away from your mom?" _Miles asks; this causes Monique to think long and hard about the answer. Miles continues to walk as Monique's phone is ringing; she answers it, _"Hello," _

"_Yes, is this Monique Coleman?"_ the voice of **Dr. Isaac**. _"Yes, Dr. Isaac…do you need to speak with Miles?" _Monique asks; however, as Miles and Sarah look at the girl as her facial expression started to drop. Monique immediately hangs up the phone.

"_Mo, what happened?" _Miles asks. _"Carol Phillips is dead…I'm ready to go back to Sarah's place…" _Monique whispers as she gets into the car. Miles and Sarah look at one another.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST… **_**Rachel **and **Bianca **pull up to Lakehurst in Rachel's car. _"So, Drew's getting out?" _Rachel asks and Bianca nods. _"Yep, he was drunk driving and so was the guy that hit him," _Bianca explains. _"He has a ton of community service, but he'll be graduating with us." _Rachel smiled at Bianca. _"Let's hang out tonight," _Rachel suggests.

Bianca looks at the girl, _"Seriously, the day before Prom?" _Bianca begins, _"Don't you, Vanessa, and Alli have to shop for dresses?" _Rachel rolls her eyes, checking herself over in the mirror. _"One, Vanessa's not graduating until next year…and Alli – well, Alli's a bitch and there's no way I'd hang with her again." _Bianca smiled; yet, she knew that she'd ruined the Torres' lives and now the Lees'. _"I'm sorry I screwed up your friendships." _

Rachel looked at Bianca, _"If you were able to ruin it, I guess it wasn't that much of anything, right?" _Bianca nodded at Rachel's words.

"_Enough of this girlie bonding crap, it's beginning to sound like a script from a lost episode of South of Nowhere," _Bianca laughed as Rachel got an idea. _"Oh, let's go to the Ravine?" _Rachel suggested as Bianca looked at her. _"No, Rachel. Not a chance in Hell!" _she exclaimed. Rachel became confused, _"Why…" "I said, not. A. Chance. In. Hell. Clear?" _Bianca asked before Rachel could protest. _"Crystal," _Rachel stated as Bianca smiled at her friend as she exited the car herself. Rachel thought about the Ravine and decided that she'd go after school.

Rachel exited the car and walked into Lakehurst, where she spotted **Alli **and **Vanessa **and they spotted her. _"Rachel, I see you're still acting out," _Alli stated. _"Alli, I see you're still acting like you still go to school here," _Rachel countered; snickering afterwards.

**BRITTANY MOSS**

**Brittany **is walking beside **Cedric**. _"So, you really told him that he needed to move on?" _Cedric asks Brittany, unsure about the conversation he obviously wasn't present for. Brittany nods, _"Yeah, I didn't believe myself when I said it. But, I'm over him." _That time, she and Cedric believe her. Cedric smiles at his friend as he puts his arm around her shoulder, _"Well, I'm totally proud of you for not giving in to the 'charm' of Randy Tamburrino," _Cedric states as he gives her a round of applause. Brittany playfully bows as she and Cedric quickly burst into laughter.

"_Cedric," _**Valerie **states as she rounds the corner. _"Valerie, you okay?" _Cedric asks his younger friend, who's trying to slow down her breathing. _"No, it's my brother – my brother and Josh Allen. They're fighting!" _Valerie shouts as Cedric and Brittany look at one another and follow Valerie down the hall and around the corner where the fight is taking place.

Brittany, Cedric, and Valerie arrive to see **Randy** slam **Josh** against the lockers. _"Stop it!" _**Quinn **shouts as Josh pushes Randy towards the lockers on the other side of the hall. _"What the Hell happened?" _Brittany asks; Quinn overhears her conversation with Cedric and Valerie.

"_You, Brittany, are the 'Hell' that happened!" _Brittany scoffs, _"Excuse me?" _Quinn looks at the girl as if she needs to be smacked around a couple of times. _"The only reason why they're fighting is because of you. Randy loves you and Josh loves you. They need you to make up your mind!" _Quinn states. _"Quinn, go to hell." _Quinn rolls her eyes at Cedric's simple statement.

"_I don't care why they're fighting. This ends, now!" _Brittany shouts as she grabs Josh's shirt and starts pulling him away from Randy, both boys starting to wrestle. Randy quickly pushes Josh as hard as he can; this causes Josh to fly back pushing Brittany into the lockers as she screams in pain. Cedric immediately races to her side. Josh, Randy, Quinn, Valerie, and other students look at the scene in horror as teacher's start to file in.

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

Sarah gets into the car, _"Monique, are you okay?" _Monique is brought back into reality upon hearing Sarah's words. _"What does that mean anymore, Sarah?" _Monique asks her best-friend. Sarah knew that Monique was going through some rough issues. _"Look, you're scared right?" _Monique nods. _"Well, don't be. It's that simple," _Sarah whispered.

"_Sarah, I-I'm sorry." _Sarah's confused by Monique's words. _"Monique, what're you talking about?" _Sarah asks. Monique forces a weak smile. _"For, dying," _Monique confesses. Sarah looks at her, pulling her into a hug. _"Don't say that. You can't say things like that!" _Sarah whispered through tears. _"Why can't you just let me go?" _Monique asks; she's on the verge of tears.

"_Because, when I was down…you picked me up. Mo, you're my best-friend…I love you," _Sarah told her as Miles watched the two girls hug and cry. Miles opens the door, _"Hey, girlie…I love you too." _Monique smiles as she passionately kisses him. Sarah smiles at them. Monique is very lucky to have these two in her life. Monique sighed; she knew that she had to go talk to Sheryl, her mother, before it was too late.

"_Home," _Monique whispers as she knocks on the door.

Sherylsighs as she goes to the door. _"Who is it?" _she asks. Monique sighs on the other side of the door; she wonders if it's too late to turn back. _"It's Monique," _she whispers as she hears the sounds of her mother quickly opening the door.

"_Monique," _Sheryl whispers as she doesn't know if she should hug her daughter or not. Monique looks at the woman, who's on the verge of tears. Monique quickly pulls the woman into a hug. Sheryl lets her tears flow as she's finally able to put her arms around Monique. When Sheryl pulls away she realizes that Monique has cut her hair short and died it red – she likes the look.

"_She's dead." _Monique states. Sheryl is confused as she looks at Monique, questioningly. _"Who's dead, sweetie?" _Sheryl asks her daughter. _"Carol Phillips, she's dead." _Sheryl knew how her daughter dealt with death and it wasn't good. _"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry. If there's anything I can do…I'll do it. I promise," _Sheryl whispers to her daughter.

Monique looks up at the woman, _"Well, I'm going to need you to drive me to the hospital," _Monique tells her mother, who is looking at her confused. Monique forces a weak smile, _"Carol, she left me her heart. I'm going to get a transplant." _The words Sheryl had been waiting to hear since that fateful day she found out about Monique's condition.

"_Deal," _Sheryl whispers as Monique smiles at the woman, _"Thanks, mama." _Words Monique knew she'd never regret telling the woman she'd spent most of her life with. Words she knew were true, no matter what.

**RACHEL LEE**

"_Ah, Mr. Lee," _**Trevor **turned around to face **Principal Richards**. _"Ma'am," _Trevor began, wondering what on God's green Earth he could've done now. _"It's unlike Rachel to miss an important meeting involving graduation…especially her valedictorian speech. But, being sick takes the best out of all of us." _Trevor is confused. _"I hope she feels better before Friday." _With that, Principal Richards walks off. Trevor can't believe that Rachel skipped something important.

He spotted Vanessa, _"Hey, Vanessa!" _Vanessa walks out of Lakehurst and Trevor realizes that Alli's picking her up. _"Great, what now," _Alli asks as she watches Trevor near her and Vanessa. _"It's Rachel, she's not herself and now she's MIA!" _Trevor tells them. Vanessa shows immediate worry; however, Alli isn't fazed as she really doesn't care. _"What do you mean MIA?" _Vanessa asked. _"She missed her meeting with Richards." _That caused Alli to worry now.

Just then Bianca walked out of Lakehurst, searching for Rachel's car. _"Well, maybe Bianca's seen her?" _Vanessa suggests. Trevor nods, _"Bianca!" _Bianca hears him and heads in his direction. _"Please tell me Rachel didn't organize a road trip," _Bianca said, _"As if," _Alli let out, Vanessa snickering. _"What, you haven't seen her?" _Trevor asked his friend; his voice causing her to stop glaring at Alli and Vanessa both.

"_Since this morning, nope, why," _Bianca asked. _"She's MIA," _Trevor tells her. _"That's 'missing in action' by the way," _Alli states as if Bianca is slow.

Bianca launches at her, Trevor catching her as Vanessa moves Alli out of the way to fight Bianca for the third time. _"Look, Rachel's gone and we need to find her!" _Trevor shouted. _"And I don't know why you two are against her!" "She ruined our relationships!" _Vanessa stated. _"No, Vanessa, Drew cheated on you, he told her that you had broken up with him. Alli, I never cheated on you. Bianca and I were working on a project!" _Trevor was right. Bianca was never in the wrong. _"I mean think about it, she can't be that bad if Rachel's hanging with her, right?" _Again, Trevor had a point. Nothing was said. _"The Ravine," _Bianca stated as the trio looked at her, _"Let's go," _Trevor said as all four got into Alli's car.

"_Rachel Lee," _states **Louis** – a grade 12 student from Lakehurst. _"Louis, hi," _Rachel greets him back; she didn't want to be rude. _"I never thought you'd be here," _Louis starts as he sees her looking around. _"Are you looking for someone?" _Rachel turned to face him upon hearing his words. _"Um…no – no, I just – no," _Rachel managed to get out. _"Hey, you wanna see something cool?" _Louis asked her. Rachel nodded; she never thought of Louis as a love interest until now. She felt his cold grip on her arm and she smiled as she allowed him to lead her into the woods.

Bianca, Trevor, Alli, and Vanessa entered the Ravine. _"Tammy, where's Rachel?" _Bianca asked; she knew that **Tammy **saw everyone and everything. _"Louis took her into the woods to show her what's behind door number one." _Bianca nodded and jogged into the woods with the others at her heels.

"_Alright, that's enough!" _Rachel shouts. Louis has her pinned against a tree and he's roughly kissing her – sending Rachel's thoughts of a potential love interest out the window. _"Stop," _Rachel whispers. Nothing, sloppier kisses. _"I said stop, no…stop – stop it! Louis get off!" _Rachel screams. Soon Louis is lifted off of her by Bianca, who shoves him to the ground. Louis gets back up only to receive a punch to the face by Trevor. Louis immediately falls to the ground. Rachel pulls Trevor into a hug.

Rachel is waiting beside the car. _"Ready?" _Alli asks as she and Vanessa throw some clothes on the ground. _"Wait, are those Louis'?" _Rachel asks. _"Yep, Trevor knocked him out cold and Alli and I thought we'd teach him a lesson." _Rachel hugs them, _"Thanks," _she whispers. She then repeats the same action with Bianca and Trevor. _"So, Bianca, are you going to the Prom with Drew?" _Alli asks and Bianca nods. _"Wanna see my dress, so we don't wear the same thing?" _Alli asks and Bianca snickers – at least they were trying. That's all Rachel wanted.

**BRITTANY MOSS**

Brittany exits the nurse's office. _"Brittany," _Cedric states as he goes to her side. _"Cedric, I'm okay," _Brittany whispers. But, Cedric doesn't believe her as Brittany gives up and decides to tell him everything the nurse told her. _"It's sprained, but it'll be okay in a few weeks. It wasn't that critical." _Brittany's words were causing her to lose faith in herself.

"_Brittany," _Cedric whispers as he nods towards someone standing in the middle of the hallway – Randy. _"No, let's turn back around," _Brittany whispers.

Randy hears this and decides to follow them. _"Brittany, wait. Let me explain, let me apologize at least." _Cedric scoffed at Randy's words and turned to look at him. _"Can't you see that she's over 'you'? So, why would you even start a fight with Josh just to prove to her that she's your girl…when clearly she's not?" _Cedric questions, putting his two sense into the matter.

"_Cedric, this doesn't involve you," _Randy immediately tells him, implying that he needs to stay out of it. Cedric scoffs, as if warning Randy he's skating on thin ice. Brittany looks at Randy. _"Look, Cedric's right. Ever since you've started talking to us again, all you've done is cause us pain! Just…leave us alone!" _Brittany shouted at her ex-boyfriend.

Randy looks at the both of them, _"Are you serious?" _Randy asks as Brittany and Cedric start to walk away. Brittany was leaning on Cedric the entire time. _"Well, Cedric was I causing you pain when I was helping you get over with sleeping with your dance instructor, your 'married' dance instructor?" _Randy states. Brittany looks at Cedric confusingly, Randy notices this. _"Wait, he didn't tell you? Oh, wow, Brittany some friend you've got here. I bet you feel stupid for telling him about how you're going to take him on that trip to L.A. this summer, right?" _Brittany looks at Randy as Cedric easily moves away from Brittany.

Randy laughs, _"Wow, you two are best-friends? Yet, neither of you knew about the others' baggage? Wow, I guess I'm not the only one who's been causing pain…well at least not anymore I'm not. Now, if you'll excuse me…I have a 5-day vacation at my house that I have to get started on," _Randy states as he walks through the now separated Brittany and Cedric. Brittany and Cedric look at Randy and then one another, wondering if they're friendship with stand after this newfound information.

"_Brittany," _Cedric begins, attempting to apologize; however, Brittany's next words will leave him thinking twice. _"How come you didn't tell me you had an affair?" _Brittany asks. Cedric stops in midsentence as he looks at the girl. _"Maybe I was thinking the same thing you were about L.A.!" _Cedric states as Brittany looks at him. _"This is different, Cedric," _Brittany whispers as Cedric looks at her as if Brittany's lost all her marbles.

"_No, I don't think it is. I think you didn't want me to go because I'd…make you look bad, right?" "Well, I think you didn't tell me about the affair because you thought I'd judge you, right?" _Cedric wasn't ready for Brittany's counter; however, neither were ready for what was about to happen next.

"_Yeah, you're right I thought you were going to judge me. Like you judge everybody else before you get to know them!" _Cedric shouts as he starts walking away. _"Cedric, I've known you long enough to know that…you're pathetic…this friendship is pathetic." _Brittany's words were causing Cedric to become furious. _"What?" _Cedric asks the girl. _"You're pathetic, Cedric. I mean…if you want me to judge you, then here it is!" _Brittany shouted.

Cedric looked at her, _"You are and always will be a controlling bitch!" _Cedric shouts as he immediately receives a slap to the face. Cedric then walks off as Brittany walks the other way.

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

"_Well, this is it, huh?" _Sheryl asked Monique as she looked at her. Monique smiled, _"Ma, I'm not actually going into surgery right now…just setting up an appointment." _Sheryl nodded at her daughter's words. She couldn't believe that she and Monique almost lost their bond.

"_Dr. Isaac," _Monique began as the man approached her and Sheryl. Monique smiled as Dr. Isaac did the same before speaking. _"Well, hello Monique. Who's this lovely woman, your sister?" _Dr. Isaac asked, as if flirting with Sheryl. Monique giggled as she watched Dr. Isaac and Sheryl eyed one another as if they were a couple in the making – Sarah would have a field day with this. _"No, she's not my sister. She's my mother and I wouldn't have it any other way." _Monique smiled as Dr. Isaac and Sheryl walked towards the reception area, where they were discussing some days and times for appointments.

Monique paused as she looked around the hospital; she'd spent most of her time in and out of this place; yet, she wouldn't want it any other way, especially if this is where it put her. In a place where she knew that she was going to be okay, a place where she knew that no matter how many times she would fall – she'd always have friends to pick her back up. For some reason, she was okay with that. She didn't know why, but she knew she was going to be okay. For the first time, she was going to be okay.


	20. I Was Here (1)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TWENTY: **_"I Was Here (1)"_

**ALLI BHANDARI**

**Alli**, **Vanessa**, **Rachel**, and **Bianca **are in the mall – shopping for dresses. _"I'm going to go try this on," _Bianca told the girls as she held up a dress and they smiled at her and nodded. Bianca returned the smiles with one of her own and headed for the dressing room.

"_Well, how about this one?" _Alli asked as she held the dress to her. Both Vanessa and Rachel nodded in agreement that the dress was perfect. Alli smiled, _"Thank God, I cannot wait for Prom!" _Alli shouted as she started jumping up and down. Vanessa looked at her, smiling. _"Who're you going with?" _she asks. _"Ah, I'm going with Rachel?" _Alli asked; seeking confirmation and when Rachel nodded, Vanessa scoffed.

"_Alli Bhandari, first Trevor and now Rachel, you keep it in the family huh?" _Vanessa joked. Alli playfully rolled her eyes and turned to face the mirror. _"I've been through a lot this year, we all have," _Alli said as Rachel and Vanessa entered the mirror as well. Alli's phone started ringing and she immediately hit 'ignore'. Vanessa saw this and walked away to let Rachel deal with whatever that was.

"_Alli, who was that," _Rachel asked; causing Alli to look up, shaking her head. _"No one important," _Alli said as she started looking for heels to match her dress. _"Alli, don't lie to me. I'm your friend." _Alli smiled as she gave in.

"_Well, it was my mom – again!" _Alli said as if the woman wasn't that important. Rachel scoffed, _"Alli, what do you mean again?" _Rachel asked her. _"Look, the last time I talked to my parents they told me to basically get lost. I'm not going to deal with anything they have to say!" _Alli exclaimed as Rachel gave up.

"_I'm just saying, it could be something serious and when you find out you're going to have so much guilt from it." _Rachel's words caused her to think as she pulled out her phone and redialed her mother. _"Hello," _**Mrs. Bhandari** answered. _"Mom," _Alli whispers. _"Oh, Allia, thank God you called. It's your father…" _Alli's face dropped as she raced by Rachel and Vanessa. _"Alli, what's wrong?" _Rachel asked.

"_It's my dad, he had a heart attack," _Alli said as Vanessa and Rachel showed immediate remorse. Alli nodded and left. Prom was no longer an option. She had – she needed to go see her father.

Vanessa started after Alli, _"Vanessa, where are you going?" _Rachel asked. Vanessa looked at the girl, _"There's no way I'm letting Alli drive with that on her mind!" _Vanessa said as she turned around; Rachel starting behind her, _"No," _Alli spoke out. _"Rachel, finish shopping for Prom, Vanessa's all I need." _Rachel became confused by the girl's words. But, the two pulled one another into a hug, which Vanessa completed and once again they separated and Alli and Vanessa were gone within a matter of seconds.

**BACK TO LAKEHURST**

_**LAKEHURST… **__"Ah, it feels so good to be back!" _**Drew **shouted as he looked at Lakehurst up and down. _"I bet," _**Adam **said as he walked around his brother, who was in his way. _"Whatever, little bro, I really came back for one person and one person only," _Drew admitted. Adam scoffed, _"Well, where is she?" _Adam asked; referring to Bianca.

"_Well, she's dress shopping with Alli, Rachel, and Vanessa." _Adam looked at Drew. _"What?" _Drew asked. _"Your current girlfriend, two of your exes, and the best-friend of your recent ex are in the same place?" _Adam asked; looking at Drew as if he's lost his mind to let something so chaotic happen. Drew thought about Adam's question and realized that it was a little strange.

"_Well, soon none of that will even matter, because Bianca won't be my girlfriend much longer," _Drew said. Adam couldn't believe Drew was going to break up with Bianca before Prom. _"Drew, you can't be serious…" _Adam began; however, Drew cut him off with something even more shocking, _"I'm going to ask her to marry me." _Adam's eyes widened. _"I'm sorry; you passed all of your classes, except one!" _Adam exclaimed.

Drew became confused, _"What?" _Adam looked at him, _"Audra Torres won't approve of it 101!" _Adam stated as he headed to his final class of the year. Drew knew that Adam had a point, but he still had to try; despite Bianca's abortion, he still wanted to be with her. Drew's phone started ringing – it was Bianca, just the girl he wanted to talk to.

"_Hey, Drew," _Bianca said as he answered the phone. _"What're you doing beautiful?" _Drew asked. Bianca sighed, _"Nothing, really. Rachel and I are getting ready for Prom, what about you?" _Bianca asked him. Drew smiled, _"Ah, nothing really just talking to Adam." "Oh, well, I'll let you two bond again!" _Bianca shouts through the phone, _"Bye Drew!" _Rachel calls out through the phone, _"Bye Rachel, oh, Bianca, I have something to ask you at Prom." _With that, the conversation was ended with both saying _"I love you." _

Drew continued to walk as he bumped into Vanessa, whose books flew all over the place. _"V-Vanessa, I'm so sorry!" _Drew said as he picked them up and gave them to her. _"Thanks," _she whispers. The two stare at one another remembering their relationship. _"I heard about Bianca helping you find Rachel, you two cool?" _Drew asked. Vanessa looks at him and nods. _"That's good. Well, good luck upcoming senior," _Drew said. _"Good luck to you, too!" _Vanessa whispered as she left him there.

**SARAH DAVIES**

"_Ugh," _**Sarah **sighed as she walked into Lakehurst; she was on the phone talking to **Monique**. _"What's wrong?" _Monique asked on the other end. _"Nothing, it's just…we promised to do 'this' together!" _Sarah said as she held up a trash bag; referring to the fact that they had to clean out their lockers.

"_Sarah, I know, but this is only temporary. I'll be better before Graduation." _Sarah knew Monique's surgery was required and that it was the best thing for Monique and her. _"Well, I could skip Prom, give you moral support?" _Sarah said; as if not wanting to go to Prom. _"What, are you sure you don't need to go to the hospital? Why would Sarah Davies give up her chance at Prom Queen?" _Monique asked as Sarah playfully rolled her eyes.

"_Whatever," _she said as she reached her locker. _"Besides," _Monique began as Sarah stopped immediately, _"I've got Miles for moral support." _With that, Sarah scoffed as Monique's laughter could be heard throughout the conversation. Sarah smiled upon hearing Monique laugh hard. When things died down, Sarah decided to hang up the phone.

Sarah reached the destination to her locker and opened it up; not realizing that **Trevor **was watching her every move. _"Sarah Davies, just the girl I wanted to see!" _Trevor called out from down the hall as he made his way to her; only to be greeted by her locker, which she let swing towards him – hitting the locker beside it.

"_Well, that was almost my face," _Trevor said. _"Oh, bummer," _Sarah whispered; in a cheerful manor. _"Ouch, same old Sarah, huh," _Trevor asked. Sarah rolled her eyes as she started shoving any and everything into the trash bag. _"Is there something you wanted?" _Sarah asked and Trevor nodded. _"Yeah, you wanna go to the Prom with me?" _Trevor asked. Sarah scoffed, _"I'm nobody's rebound." _With that, Trevor threw up his hands in defeat. _"Sorry," _he whispered. Sarah felt a little bad – a little.

"_Look, it's not that I wouldn't go with you. You see, I have to work!" _Sarah stated as she looked at his facial expression. Trevor smiled, _"You don't have to make excuses for me, I cheated on you…you hate me – all girls do." _Sarah rolled her eyes.

"_Look, if we're going to Prom, you're going to have to stop playing the 'pity card'…it's outdated." _Trevor nodded, but became confused, _"What about work?" _he asked. Sarah smiled, _"Hello, this is 'Sarah Davies' you're talking about. I can do anything with the right motivation," _Trevor nodded as he left down the hall.

Sarah's phone started vibrating; she smiled until she saw it was from **Olivia**. _'Work, ASAP!' _Sarah sighed as she looked around; after noticing that she was the only one in the hall, she took a pill bottle out of her purse – caffeine pills – and popped one without water. Sarah smiled at herself in her locker mirror, before closing it and walking off.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

"_Mom," _Alli said as she got her mother's attention. Mrs. Bhandari had been waiting in the hallway for what seemed like forever. _"Oh, Allia, you came!" _she called out. Alli couldn't believe this had happened. _"What caused it?" _she asked. _"Stress," _Mrs. Bhandari whispered; answering her daughter's question. Alli immediately figured that this was her fault. _"I'm sorry, it's my fault."_

Mrs. Bhandari looked at her daughter, _"Alli, don't…there's nothing you could've done to stop this, nor cause it," _she said. Alli wanted to believe her mother, she just couldn't, not right now at least. _"Can I see him?" _Alli asks. Mrs. Bhandari nods; signaling that it was okay.

Alli walked into the room – seeing her father hooked up to all those machines brought her to tears. _"Oh, dad, I'm sorry," _she whispers. _"I mean all my life I've been a screw up and I know that, but you and mom never gave up on me. That's why I decided to go to this program that'll help me get my high school diploma," _Alli said as she looked at him. Alli continued to cry as she left out of the room; coming face to face with a familiar person, someone she thought she'd never see again – Chase.

"_Alli, hey," _Chase's words were all it took for Alli to turn the opposite way. Chase looked at Mrs. Bhandari before going after Alli himself. _"Alli, I don't understand…you don't want me here?" _Chase asks. _"No, I don't! Chase I let you go that day…I can't keep living in the past." _Chase knew it was something else bothering Alli. _"Is this about me coming for your father or the fact that you're afraid I'll bump into Trevor?" _Alli looks at Chase and wonders how he knew about that.

"_Vanessa and I keep in touch," _Chase whispers. Alli looks at him. _"Good, at least someone still wants to keep in touch with you!" _Alli turns to go around him, but he pulls her back. _"I love you, I came here to be with you during this…even if you tell me to leave, and I'm not. You dad's someone I just so happen to care about, because he's your dad. So, I'll be here for him and your mom." _Alli looks at Chase and smiles faintly. _"Thank you," _she whispers.

**DREW TORRES**

Bianca stepped into the gym, _"Wow, beautiful," _she said. Drew smiled, _"I'll say…" _he whispered referring to her. Bianca smiled at him as she passionately kissed him. _"What did you want to talk about?" _Bianca asked. _"Later. First, let's dance," _Drew stated as Bianca smiled; agreeing to the dance.

Drew started slow dancing with Bianca who was smiling the entire time; she wanted to know what Drew was going to ask her. _"Bianca, will you marry me?" _Drew asked her. _"Lakehurst's 2012 Prom King is Drew Torres!" _Drew looked at Principal Richards; he's wondering how he could've won. Bianca looked at him, _"Rachel and I persuaded some students to vote for you," _Bianca whispered as Drew smiled at her. _"About the marriage thing, we can talk about it later. Now, go up there Prom King!" _Bianca smiled as Drew forced a smiled – he was uneasy about the fact that Bianca wanted to talk about the proposal instead of saying yes.

Drew ran upstage as he grabbed his crown and started dancing. Bianca and Rachel are laughing the entire time.

**SARAH DAVIES**

"_Sarah!" _Trevor called to her as Sarah turned around to face Trevor on instinct. She admired his tuxedo – she was glad that he went along with her choice of colors. _"Hey," _Sarah let out as Trevor looked her over. _"You actually came," _Trevor said. Sarah smiled, _"Why wouldn't I?" _She asked. _"Well, because of the way I treated you during the time we were dating." _Trevor's words made Sarah think about a lot of things; mainly when they first met.

"_Kim Dawson." _Trevor looked at her confused. _"Kim Dawson is the first person I called to help me when Renee became too much for me to handle," _Sarah admitted. _"Sarah," _Trevor began as Sarah looked at him. _"Stop playing the 'pity card'." _

Sarah smiled at him. What was happening between them? Was she really starting to fall for Trevor Lee, again? _"Um, will you excuse me…I have to go to the bathroom," _Sarah said as Trevor nodded, _"Sure." _With that, Sarah walked out of the gym.

Sarah entered the bathroom and walked to the mirror. She needed a pick-me-up. Sarah popped the pill just in time to see **Renee **exit the stall. _"Well, look who it is, Sarah, I didn't know you swallow pills for fun," _Renee said; ready for Sarah to leave out and cry. _"Well, Renee I might swallow pills for fun, but you just swallow." _At that moment, Sarah heard a sneeze and pushed the door of the stall Renee had just left open.

There stood Louis, _"I rest my case," _Sarah said as she headed for the door. _"Oh, Renee," _Sarah said turning around after snatching a few paper towels, _"You got a little ah…ah…just here, hon." _Now, Sarah walked out, _"Wipe your face!" _she called back.

Sarah walked back into the dance; her favorite song by JoJo was playing. _"Disaster?" _she asked Trevor. Trevor smiled, _"I knew you'd like it," _he said. _"How?" _she asked, _"Monique called me," _he whispered. Sarah smiled.

"_Ladies and gentlemen time for the announcements of Prom King and Queen!" _**Principal Richards** said. _"Lakehurst's 2012 Prom King is Drew Torres!" _Everyone cheered, _"Lakehurst's 2012 Prom Queen is…Sarah Davies!" _Principal Richards said as everyone clapped.

"_That's me," _Sarah whispered. Trevor nodded as Sarah walked towards the stage. Sarah hadn't expected to win; she also didn't expect to start witnessing the side effects of caffeine pills right then and there; fatigue. At that moment, she collapsed to the ground. Several people screaming as Trevor raced towards her.

**ALLI BHANDARI**

"_Mom, what's going on?" _Alli asks as she and Chase made their way down the hall; holding hands. _"It's your father, he's awake!" _Mrs. Bhandari called out as Alli jogged to the room. _"Dad," "Allia!" _**Mr. Bhandari **stated as Alli hugged him tightly. _"You're not a screw up," _Alli smiled upon hearing the words. She didn't know if her father heard her or not, but she was glad that he'd said those words. She didn't know what was in store for her future, but she knew that somehow she was going to be okay. She always was.


	21. I Was Here (2)

**LAKEHURST**

**LAKEHURST: **_SHATTERED_

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: **_"I Was Here (2)"_

**Principal Richards **walks on stage and looks out into the crowd – it's full of graduates and their supporting family and friends. _"Welcome, parents, families, and friends. I know what most of you are thinking…it came so fast. It was just yesterday I was changing diapers and no I'm saying goodbye." "Well, let's get this show on the road, shall we?" _Richards stated as she began. _"Monique Coleman…"_

**MONIQUE COLEMAN**

**Monique **_smiled _upon hearing her name as she stood up to go collect her award; however, she was immediately pulled into a flashback.

**Sheryl **opens the door for Monique and Miles; Monique has returned home from her surgery. _"Are you sure you don't want to go back to the hospital?" _Miles asks. Monique smiles, _"Mile's I'm fine. Besides, we're a long ways away from the hospital now." _Miles scoffed, _"Please, if my girl wants to go back, we'll go back," _Miles said as he looked down at Monique who was in a wheelchair; however, it was only temporary and mainly because of her surgery. _"God, I love you," _Monique whispers as Miles shares a kiss with her.

"_I just hate the fact that we're going to have to miss prom," _Monique states as Miles looks at her. _"No we're not," _he reassures her. _"Miles, the doctor said…" _Monique began, but Miles cut her off as h pointed to the sliding doors of her mother's home. Sheryl motioned for Miles to bring Monique through. Monique was surprised when she saw that the backyard had been decorated in a similar fashion to the prom. _"Miles, this is perfect." _Monique whispered. _"No, wait, here," _Miles said as he placed a crown on Monique's head. _"I announce the Monique Coleman Prom Queen, now it's perfect," _Miles said as he and Monique shared a passionate kiss, one that Monique would love to have lasted for a lifetime.

**SARAH DAVIES**

"_Sarah Davies…" _**Sarah **smiled upon hearing her name as she stood up to go collect her award; however, she was immediately pulled into a flashback.

Sarah is sitting down on a bench outside of the hospital. _"Sarah Davies!" _Trevor called out as he sat down on the bench beside her. _"Ugh, what do you want, Trevor?" _Sarah asks as Trevor looks at her. _"I just want to you know that I get why you took the pills," _Trevor confessed. Sarah rolled her eyes; it was exactly what she needed somebody telling her that they understood why she did what she did. Nobody knew what she was going through. _"You strive to be the best, no matter what. You've been through a lot of ups and downs this semester and you just wanted somebody to actually get you…to understand the pressure you're under, right?" _Trevor said all in one.

Sarah found herself nodding at his words. Sarah was shocked when she saw Trevor pull out some pills of his own, _"I've been popping these since my car accident and I haven't found a way to kick it, especially with the rape…it does take away the pain, the pills," _Trevor admitted his addiction. Sarah gave him a faint smile; _"I'll make you a deal," _Trevor began. _"What's that?" _Sarah asked. _"If you quit the caffeine pills, I'll quit the pain killers, deal?" _Trevor asked. Sarah looked at him, _"Trevor, I can quit anytime and I did already. You have an addiction!" _Sarah told him. _"Maybe, that's why I need you to convince me to go to these meeting that I've signed up for to help me cope with everything that's been going on in my life." _With that, Sarah nodded. She'd already decided to be there for Trevor no matter what.

**BIANCA DESOUSA**

"_Bianca DeSousa…" _**Bianca **smiled upon hearing her name as she stood up to go collect her award; however, she was immediately pulled into a flashback.

"_Hey you," _**Juliana **said as she came around the corner. Bianca looked at **Etienne**, who was laughing at a joke she'd recently told. Her look told Etienne to give them privacy and he did as he raced by Juliana. _"What's up?" _Bianca asked as she finished curling her hair for graduation. _"You're a mess kid, you're stubborn and hard headed, you do things without thinking of the consequences, yet you're the most considerate teen I've ever had the pleasure of taking care of. In other words I'm proud of you Bianca," _Juliana confessed.

Bianca turned to face the woman. _"When you were young you always told me how you wanted to be like your mother and how you longed to know who your father was. Now come to find out you've been somebody Etienne can look up to and say that he's proud of. Bianca you're my hero." _Bianca was confused. _"How?" _she asked. Juliana smiled, _"When I found out that I would be taking care of you rugrats, I was dealing with a drug dealer and when you came you told me about what your mother had done and I couldn't let that happen again so I got rid of him," _Juliana said as Bianca pulled the woman into a hug. _"God, I don't know why we're hugging," _Juliana stated as Bianca snickered.

**MILES JOHNSTON**

"_Miles Johnston…" _**Miles **smiled upon hearing his name as he stood up to go collect his award; however, he was immediately pulled into a flashback.

Miles is looking for his dress shoes to wear to graduation; however, he comes across his old gang stuff. He realizes that he's been through a lot in the past and that he's stronger because of all of that. He was blind for a short period of time. Racism seems to follow him wherever he goes. He's been shot too. He had to let all of that stuff go, he's with Monique now, he has better friends now and that's something to be proud of.

"_Miles…" _**Gloria **whispers as she knocks on the door to get Miles's attention. She looks at her son as he stands up. _"Mom, I just wanna say thank you for being my mom!" _he states as Gloria rushes in and hugs him. _"Of course, it's not like I had anything else better to do," _Gloria joked as her and Mils both laughed at the statement. _"You're going to be just fine out there in the world, I know it." _Gloria assured her son. _"I just…I'm glad that I didn't end up like my brother, you know?" _Gloria smiled at his words, _"You have yourself to thank for that, you fought to be the best person you could be and you won the fight, now the trick is to finish the war." _Gloria stated as Miles looked at her, he was ready to take on whatever the world had in store for him. He'd be okay, he always was.

**TREVOR LEE**

"_Trevor Lee…" _**Trevor **smiled upon hearing his name as he stood up to go collect his award; however, he was immediately pulled into a flashback.

Trevor is in his graduation gown and he's pacing back and forth as his 'Senior Year Film Project' is being played in the background. _"There's my little director," _**Lauren **states. Trevor looks at her, _"Mom, chill out with the 'little' names," _Trevor said. _"Oh, come on my little graduate…" _Lauren said she was laughing as Trevor scoffed. _"Is the film over?" _Trevor asked. _"Almost," _Lauren told him. Trevor couldn't believe that his time at Lakehurst was finally over with. He was finally going to be able to leave without worrying about anything else. _"I'm so glad I'm graduating mom," _Trevor told the woman. _"I know you are, I'm happy for you Trevor," _Lauren said.

"_Are you proud of me?" _Trevor asked, _"I didn't screw up this time mom, I did good didn't I? You're proud of me right?" _Trevor said, fighting back tears.

"_Oh, sweetie, I'm so proud of you. You know, there was a point in time where I was told I couldn't have kids. It sucked, thinking that the only time in my life I was going to hold a baby was whether or not it was going to my sister's kid or my brothers'. But, somebody upstairs was looking out for me. The next thing I knew I was pregnant with you, my miracle baby. And I…I tried to make it work with your dad, I did. I just fell out of love with him, you know. I couldn't bring you around; I was messing with your father's brother. I was considered a slut in his eyes. But, you didn't see it that way. You loved me for me. My son didn't give up on me and I promised myself that I'd never give up on you. The way my parents deemed me the bad child out of three, I hated that and I just needed a child of my own to show them that this is how a child is supposed to be loved…"_

Trevor was crying now at how his mother explained how she was treated. _"Mom, I love you…but if I keep crying, the guys are going to make fun of me," _Trevor said, _"Ugh, whatever get outta here kid," _Lauren said as she started dry her eyes while laughing at the same time.

**DREW TORRES**

"_Drew Torres…" _**Drew **smiled upon hearing his name as he stood up to go collect his award; however, he was immediately pulled into a flashback.

"_Bianca, can we talk about it now?" _Drew asked referring to the proposal. _"Drew, we're about to graduate high school and besides we haven't even known each other for that long," _Bianca told him. _"Really, it wasn't too long ago you dated Adam, you gave him a chance. Any girl that's willing to give him a chance has got to be an amazing girl and you are Bianca. I love you; you've stood by me through everything. Now, let me stand by you as your husband and you as my wife." _Drew said as he was no holding her hand.

"_Ugh, you're making this so hard," _Bianca said; she didn't want to ruin their future. _"Okay, how about this. We'll wait until the brutal years of college are over and then I'll ask again, how does that sound?" _Drew asked and Bianca smiled. _"You'd really wait that long just to get me to marry you?" _Bianca asked. Drew nodded, _"Of course. Like I said, I love you and I want you to be with me and if marriage isn't for us right now. Dating sure as Hell is," _Drew said as he kissed her. Bianca smiled, _"God, I love you," _she whispered as she and Drew walked to their seats before graduation began.

**RACHEL LEE**

"_Rachel Lee, our valedictorian…" _**Rachel **smiled upon hearing her name as she stood up to go collect her award. Rachel hopped onto the stage and took her place behind the microphone.

"_God, where do I start? It's like principal Richards said, it was only yesterday. Well, yesterday I was busting my butt trying to work on this speech. When I first started Lakehurst, I had only one thing on my mind – boys, boys, and more boys. Okay, three things. But, I wasn't that kind of girl you know? Even when my parents divorced I didn't change too much, I don't think. I mean I'm supposed to be talking about how these are the best years of our lives, when in reality, what comes after it will be the best years. High school was just the setup, right? Yesterday you were loved, today you'll be cherished, and tomorrow you'll be a memory. But, it doesn't have to be like that. I mean there are some pretty, and I'll have to put a dime in the swear jar later but, there are some pretty kick ass people in this graduation crowd. However, there's someone that won't get the pleasure of what it feels like to graduate, someone who won't be able to know what could have been. But, I'm sure that where he's at, Hunter Tanner is happier than all of us right now. He was a good kid and friend and he'll definitely be remembered. So, if the class of 2012 will please rise. Guys, we did it!" _Rachel shouts as everyone throws their caps into the air.

**AFTER GRADUATION**

"_Cheese," _Monique and Sarah say in unison as Miles takes their pictures. _"Alright, Miles now one with you," _Monique says. Sarah spots Trevor standing by a wall. _"Trevor! Wait a minute you guys," _Sarah whispers as she walks over to the boy and flashes a smile. _"Don't you want to take a picture with us?" _Sarah asks. Trevor smiles, _"Of course, I'd love too." _Trevor states as Sarah interlocks their fingers and leads him over to Monique and Miles.

"_Sign my year book?" _Rachel asks as she nears Bianca and Drew. _"Sure," _Drew states as he grabs the book and begins writing in it.

"_So, you ready for college?" _Bianca asked as Rachel looked back at Miles, Monique, Trevor, and Sarah. They were once her close friends, but she and Bianca were a team now. _"Hell yeah, let's do this." _Rachel states as Drew hugs wraps his arms around both of girls and begins to walk with them. _"I have a feeling this is going to be one hell of a summer," _Drew states as Rachel and Bianca nod in unison.

**THE END**

**STAY TUNED FOR: **_Lakehurst Season 11.5: Picking Up The Pieces. It's going to feature the first semester of a new school year as well as introduce the OCs you wonderful people submitted. It's still not too late to get your OC in, just review to this story and I'll look it over and see if there's room for your character. For more information, check out my story titled "The Lakehurst Experience". Also, if you'd like some sneak peeks from Season 11.5 just review with a current character's name and I'll give you a quote they're going to use this season; however, I won't be giving away too much of the story._


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